Hanwha ’16 1R signing→2-for-2 trade transfer→Lotte 1st team 8G appearances, ‘unfinished big man’ Kim Joo-hyun finally cleared waivers

Lotte Giants infielder Kim Joo-hyun left the team via waivers on August 13. Kim, who was traded to Lotte from the Hanwha Eagles, was highly touted as an infield bat, but ended up being an unfinished business.

Born in 1993, the left-handed hitting infielder from Bukil High School and Kyung Hee University made his professional debut in a Hanwha uniform in the 2016 first round. After gaining first-team experience in four games (three at-bats) in 2016 and 24 games (43 at-bats) in 2017, Kim joined the police baseball team to resolve his military issues.

He then donned the Lotte uniform on November 21, 2019, as part of a two-for-two trade that sent Jang Si-hwan for Kim Hyun-woo and Ji-wan Jang for Kim Joo-hyun.

In 2020, Kim played in 56 games in the Futures League, batting .200 with 30 hits, a .342 on-base percentage, and a .320 slugging percentage.

In 2021, Kim showed his potential. In 69 games in the Futures League in 2021, Kim put up impressive numbers with a .386 batting average, 78 hits, 4 home runs, 42 RBIs, a .492 OPS, and a .520 slugging percentage. His .386 batting average was the second-best in the Futures League South. 먹튀검증

Kim made his first appearance in a Lotte uniform in the 2021 season. In eight games in 2021, Kim batted .250 with four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts.

He hasn’t had a first-team opportunity since. In 29 games in the Futures League this year, Kim hit .283 with 15 hits, nine RBIs, three walks, a .316 on-base percentage and a .340 slugging percentage. With Lotte’s recent influx of young outfield prospects, it hasn’t been easy to get playing time in the Futures League. Kim’s most recent Futures League appearance was on August 6 against the LG Twins (3-for-2 with a walk).

A Lotte representative told MK Sports on August 15, “The waiver announcement for Kim Joo-hyun is a general end-of-season team reorganization decision. As the number of younger players has increased not only in the first team but also in the future team, there are fewer opportunities for Kim to return to the field. We felt it would be best for him to move on as soon as possible to find a new home.”