Pitcher Lee Min-ho, 31, has been released from the Samsung Lions after a year of trying to make a comeback.
After completing the regular season, Samsung officially announced on Monday that it will not re-sign six players, including Lee Min-ho.
The six players were pitchers Lee Min-ho, Han Yeon-wook, and Jang Jae-hyuk, infielder Kim Min-ho, and catchers Kim Se-min and Jung Jin-soo.
Samsung explained, “We decided not to re-sign the six players based on the composition of the roster and the direction of their development.
Lee joined the NC Dinos as a rookie priority pick in 2012 and was hailed as the “next Seon Dong-yeol” for his 150-plus mph fastball, sharp slider, and forkball that emanated from his soft pitching arm, but he has since been plagued by ups and downs and injuries.
In 337 games, mostly out of the bullpen, he compiled a 33-24 record with 31 saves and 28 holds.
In 2018, he had a career-high season with a 5-4 record, 14 saves, and a 4.68 ERA in 50 games. After being released by NC last fall, Lee joined the Samsung Lions on a tryout late last year for a salary of 45 million won. He was expected to be an insurance card for Samsung, which had a weak bullpen.
He returned to the mound through steady rehabilitation, 토토사이트 but never made it to the first team. His only official appearance in a Samsung uniform was on June 1 in Game 1 of the Futures League.
Han Yeon-wook (23), a tall right-hander, was selected by Samsung with the 85th overall pick in the ninth round of the 2020 second round. In two seasons in the Futures League without a first-team appearance, he went 6-8 with a 3.64 ERA in 37 games.
He hasn’t pitched this season.
Jang Jae-hyuk (22), a right-handed pitching prospect who competed with Jin Seung-hyun (Lotte) at Gyeongbuk High School, was selected by Samsung with the 83rd overall pick in the ninth round of the 2022 KBO Draft. In two seasons in the Futures League without a first-team appearance, Jang went 2-6 with one save, eight holds and a 3.67 ERA in 52 games. He hasn’t pitched this season. Third baseman Kim Min-ho (21), who was drafted by Samsung in the eighth round, 78th overall, in 2023, is a good-sized prospect at 1.85 meters, 93 kilograms. He batted .347 with three home runs, 19 RBIs, a .597 on-base percentage and a .407 slugging percentage in 41 games in the Futures League this season, but was unable to avoid the release knife.
Catcher Jung Jin-soo (27), the 65th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 draft, and Kim Se-min (22), the 63rd overall pick in the second round of the 2021 draft, struggled to find opportunities among the team’s many catcher competitors.