Although the KBO league received a box office warning light due to sluggish performance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), there were also those who maintained a positive view.
As the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) came to an end, outdoor activities became freer to a large extent, and on the other hand, there was an expectation that the power reinforcement elements of teams with box office power would captivate fans.
There were not a few people who predicted the scenario of the top 5 with LG, Lotte, and KIA, which are considered popular clubs, and the so-called ‘Ellotgi’. Immediately, LG was the second-place team in the regular season last year, and KIA also succeeded in returning to the postseason last year. Here, the possibility has increased as Lotte, which has been in the lower ranks for the past few years, has decided to spend money in the free agent (FA) market to reinforce its power. All of them were evaluated as having built up the power to challenge the postseason.
However, such an ‘expectation’ scenario is facing a crisis from the beginning of the season. All three teams have a lot of injuries and are having trouble sprinting in April. The negative prospect that it could struggle in the race in April also raises its head.
LG, who can no longer be satisfied with the postseason, lost Lee Jae-won, a top-of-the-line player who had high expectations from the team even before the start of the season, due to an injury. LG director Yeom Kyung-yeop gave a lot of strength, saying that he would raise him as the ‘second Park Byung-ho’, but he couldn’t even operate it properly and went on hiatus. Finisher Ko Woo-seok is also missing from the first team due to his uncomfortable shoulder at the WBC. The race will be held in early April without the two players who were quite important in Yeom’s plan.
With the opening of the season right around the corner, Seo Jun-won, who was expected to be a starting or long-relief resource, caused an unpleasant incident and was removed from the team. In addition, Lee Min-seok, who also had a lot of expectations in the bullpen, is expected to be out of the first team for the time being due to elbow pain, and it has been confirmed that backup catcher Ji Ji-wan will also miss 4-6 weeks due to a torn left internal oblique muscle. There is a risk of not getting momentum when you have to run. 스포츠토토
KIA still has time to return to the first team entry while Na Seong-beom, who participated in the WBC, was absent from all demonstration games due to a calf injury. On top of this, second-year Kim Do-young, who had the biggest expectations this year, injured his foot in the Incheon SSG match on the 2nd and was confirmed to be out for the first half. Na Seong-beom is scheduled to return soon, but there is a possibility that this will also be a void that will not be easy to fill in the infield and batting order of a team where Kim Do-young’s proportion is quite large.