Choi Chung-yeon was included on the Lotte Giants’ list of released players on October 7.
Although he joined Lotte through last year’s second draft, he made only one first-team appearance early in the season.
The rebound expected from the experienced pitcher Lotte had acquired did not translate into an actual contribution to the team.
3-Line Summary
1. Choi Chung-yeon was released by Lotte on October 7.
2. His only first-team appearance was one game on April 7.
3. Expectations at the time of his acquisition must be distinguished from his actual results.
Choi Chung-yeon Included Among the 16 Players on the List
Lotte announced on October 7 that it had notified 16 players in total—8 pitchers and 8 position players—of their release through individual meetings. Choi Chung-yeon was included on the pitching release list alongside Jeong Seong-jong, Seok Sang-ho, and Park Ro-geon. The decision to part ways with 16 players at once was part of a roster overhaul ahead of the end of the regular season.
Newsis and SPOTV NEWS reported that Lotte issued these release notices ahead of wrapping up the season. Lotte was reported to have begun planning its roster for next season early after failing to advance to fall baseball.
A release is a club decision that means the player will no longer prepare for the following season as a member of that team. For Choi Chung-yeon, this meant having to seek another opportunity after failing to complete one full season following his move to Lotte.
Second-Draft Acquisition, Only One First-Team Appearance
Choi Chung-yeon transferred after being selected by Lotte in the 3rd round of last year’s second draft in November. According to the club’s explanation reported by MoneyToday, Lotte assessed Choi Chung-yeon at the time as a pitcher ready to contribute immediately whose pitching power and command were showing signs of recovery, and hoped that his experience and game-management ability would help the team’s roster the following season. This reflected the plan and assessment at the time of the acquisition; it did not establish his subsequent results as a certainty.
Lotte invested 2억원 in the selection, and Choi Chung-yeon also completed the club’s study-abroad program in Japan after the transfer. However, the only game in which he pitched for Lotte in the first team was against KT on April 7. SPOTV NEWS reported that, apart from that game, he had no first-team appearances.
MoneyToday reported that Choi Chung-yeon recorded 1 win in 5 games in the second team, with a 1.29 earned run average, and that April 13 was also his final appearance in the second team. Even if his second-team results were not poor, the clearest point in this release was that they did not lead to an opportunity in the first team.
His 2018 Record and One Season with Lotte
Choi Chung-yeon is a pitcher who appeared in 198 first-team games for his career with the Samsung Lions, recording 5 wins and 19 losses, 9 saves and 23 holds, with a 6.10 earned run average. In particular, in 2018, he pitched 85 innings in 70 games, finishing with 2 wins and 6 losses, 8 saves, 16 holds, and a 3.60 earned run average; that same year, he won a gold medal at the Jakarta–Palembang Asian Games.
Those records can be read as the background to Lotte’s consideration of his potential for a rebound. However, the results confirmed at Lotte amounted to one first-team game and a brief stint in the second team. His past performances and opportunities with a new team were separate matters, and the announcement of this list shows that the gap between them ultimately was not narrowed.
References
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