Lee Ji-young was named in the 30-man final entry for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) announced on the 4th. Baseball team coach Lee Kang-cheol selected Lee Ji-young as a backup resource for starter Eui-ji Yang (Doosan Bears) while using two catchers. Among the players included in the 50-man interest list, which is a preliminary entry concept, he beat Park Dong-won (LG Twins) and Park Se-hyuk (NC Dinos). Considering that players other than the interest list were also able to register for the final entry, Kang-Nam Yoo (Lotte Giants) Jae-Hoon Choi (Hanwha Eagles) were all recognized as the ‘KBO League Number Two Catcher’.
In a phone call with Ilgan Sports, Lee Ji-young said,안전놀이터 “I feel good (after hearing the news of the selection of the WBC final entry), but I am a little confused. I honestly did not expect it.” (After debuting as a pro) I am representing the national team for the first time, and it seems to be a little more meaningful because it is the WBC.”
Jiyoung Lee’s value soared last fall. He was very active in the postseason (PS) and led Kiwoom’s rebellion. Lee Ji-young participated in all 15 PS games played by Kiwoom from the first game of the semi-playoff (junior PO) with KT Wiz to the final game 6 of the Korean Series (KS) with SSG Landers. He was in a position that consumed a lot of stamina, but he didn’t budge. He was as sharp on offense as he was on defense. He had a semi-PO batting average of 0.421 (8 hits in 19 at-bats) and a KS batting average of 0.333 (6 hits in 18 at-bats), playing the role of licorice in the pharmacy. National team coach Lee Kang-cheol said of Lee Ji-young, “Last year, while watching PS, KS was old but moved well. I consulted with Jin Gap-yong battery coach. Basically, he is hardworking and sincere. Director Lee is also the person who directly watched Lee Ji-young’s fall performance on the ground as KT’s command tower.
Lee Ji-young is not a star player. After joining the Samsung Lions as a foster player in 2008, he stayed as a backup catcher for a while. Even when he wore the Heroes uniform in a triangle trade in December 2018, he didn’t get much attention. However, he quietly did his part and gradually expanded his position. As a result, he signed a contract with Kiwoom as a free agent (FA) in November 2019, and his value was recognized. The condition is a total of 1.2 billion won for 3 years (down payment of 300 million won, annual salary of 300 million won). Even including all options worth up to 600 million won (based on three years), the total amount did not exceed 2 billion won. It was a relatively low amount considering the atmosphere in the league where catcher ransoms skyrocketed, but the signing was completed 안전놀이터 without major disagreement with the club. And his performance was not proportional to his salary. 300 million won in annual salary last year. There were six catchers with higher salaries than him,
Lee Ji-young said, “I haven’t started technical training yet, but I’ve been steadily building my body.” “(While playing a lot of games) I think it’s helpful to broaden my horizons a bit… I really didn’t think I would be selected even if I thought about it. I am very sorry,” he said.