The Samsung Lions of professional baseball will send players to the Australian Baseball League (ABL) this year following last year. 메이저놀이터

Last year, Samsung dispatched left-hander Lee Seung-hyun (22), right-hander Park Kwon-hoo (20) and catcher Lee Byung-hun (25) to the Adelaide Giants from ABL to achieve satisfactory results. 

Lee, who played as a talent pool agent until last year, received training as a starting pitcher in Australia and played a key role in the starting lineup for this season. In 17 matches, Lee had six wins and four losses with an ERA of 4.23. Had it not been for his left hamstring injury, he would have been able to win in double digits. Catcher Lee Byung-hun stayed at the home turf with Kang Min-ho. Analysts say that Lee has taken a step forward in both offense and defense. 

Samsung will send four players to the Brisbane Bandits that belong to the ABL. Yuk Sun-yeop (19) and Kim Dae-ho (23) will participate in the first half, and Choi Chae-heung (29) and Lee Ho-seong (20) will participate in the second half. Park Hee-soo, a former hold king coach, training coach, and team staff will also join the team. 

The club said, "We decided to dispatch the promising players to maintain their sense of practice and to develop their experience and skills in the new league." The players will return home after experiencing the Australian Baseball League for 10 weeks from the 15th. 

Among the players on the Australian Baseball League's dispatch list, Choi stands out. It is somewhat unexpected. He is too old to be called a promising player. He is 10 years older than Yuk Sun-yeop. It is contrary to the club's intention to improve the skills of promising players. However, he is not a hard worker. 

Choi, who was praised as the "college league's Ryu Hyun-jin" during his time at Hanyang University, started his professional career by receiving the first nomination by Samsung in 2018. In 2020, his third year at the club, he played in 26 games, completing his career high season with 11 wins, 6 losses and an earned run average of 3.58. Since then, he has been on a downward spiral. He joined the club in 2021 with five wins, nine losses and two holds (4.56 ERA) left. He played in 15 games after being discharged from the military in June last year, but had only one win, seven losses and an earned run average of 6.68. 

Choi had high expectations for completing the final puzzle pieces of the starting lineup this season, but disappointed the coaching staff by posting below-expectation pitching at a practice game held in Okinawa, Japan. After starting from scratch, Choi got a special opportunity to receive personal training at Scottsdale Push Performance Baseball Center in Arizona for a month. 

The club spent a lot of money to study in the U.S., but the effect was not sufficient. Unlike his energetic performance outside the ground, he only pitched 14 times and garnered one hold. His earned run average (ERA) was also high at 6.30. There was little difference between the playoffs (10.80 in two games) and the Korean Series (10.80 in one game). 

The fact that the club included Choi in the list of students to study in Australia after the U.S. indicates that it still has high expectations. Choi should also prepare for the next season with determination to renew his commitment to receive special treatment from the club. Otherwise, teammates who want to study abroad but don't get the opportunity may feel deprived. The club cannot escape criticism that it wasted money.