"Births in the 80s → Jumps in the 00s." Left-handers born in the 90s who disappeared, hope raised by LG Son Joo-young

"Births in the 80s → Jumps in the 00s." Left-handers born in the 90s who disappeared, hope raised by LG Son Joo-young

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Ryu Hyun-jin (37) of the Hanwha Eagles, Kim Kwang-hyun (36) of the SSG Landers, and Yang Hyeon-jong (36) of the Kia Tigers are left-handed starters who have led the Korean baseball renaissance. Since the 2000s, they have made great strides in major international competitions including the Olympics, the World Baseball Classic, and the Premier 12.
Those in their mid-30s have passed the title of "National Team Ace" to their juniors. The national baseball team is comprised mainly of young players in their early to mid-20s from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games that took place last fall to the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12.

The title of the national team ace in recent years has mostly been given to right-handed pitchers. Won Tae-in (24) of the Samsung Lions, Kwak Bin (25) of the Doosan Bears, and Moon Dong-ju (21) of the Hanwha Eagles are all right-handed fireballers who throw fast balls around 150 kilometers per hour.

Unfortunately, the genealogy of left-hander selection for the national team has yet to be made clear. The next batch of left-hander Troika who was born in the 1980s has not been successful. Moreover, there is no remarkable left-hander selection within the league who was born in the 1990s. Koo Chang-mo (27, NC Dinos) and Choi Chae-heung (29, LG Twins), who were considered likely candidates, have not grown as much as expected. Rather, with left-hander selection among those born in the 2000s including Lee Eui-ri (22) and Lee Seung-hyun (22, Samsung), the genealogy of left-hander selection for the national team seems to be passed on to those who are highly likely to develop.

However, he has renewed hope this year. Son Ju-young (aged 26, LG Twins) has garnered nine wins (10 losses) in 28 matches. Son, who emerged as a new pillar of LG's starting lineup, has shown remarkable growth this year as a left-handed fireballer. Although Son failed to join the team due to injury, he was also selected for the Premier 12 national team, raising expectations for his growth as a left-handed ace. 메이저놀이터

Son's sudden rise is very good news not only for LG but also for the Korean baseball as a whole. This is because he can play a role as an intermediary to naturally lead the generational change of the national team. It is too early to make a decision based on his performance in just one season, but it is meaningful that a new candidate has appeared to raise hope. This is why people are already paying attention to Son's performance in the 2025 season.