Will Lotte Giants’ first designation Son Sung-bin (22) be able to grow to the next level next season and become the “second Kang Min-ho”.
This season, Lotte experienced difficulties due to catcher issues. Yoo Kang-nam, who signed a four-year, eight-billion-won contract in November 2022, showed his worst performance with a batting average of 0.191 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and an OPS of 0.559 in 51 games. He ended the season early due to a knee injury, losing his image as a “steel king.” In his sixth year, catcher Cho In-geun also saw his growth slow down with a batting average of 0.226 with two home runs, seven RBIs and an OPS of 0.529 in 89 games.
The Lotte catcher’s team displayed strong attack capability. During the 2024 season, Lotte had a batting average of 0.193, the only team among the 10 teams to hit the .100 range. The OPS was also 0.564, lower than 0.6. The figure was similar to that of the 2022 season (batting average of 0.187, OPS of 0.515), when the catcher’s problem reached its peak right before Yoo Kang-nam was recruited.
It is unlikely that the catcher’s brutal death, which lasted seven years since Kang Min-ho left in 2017, will end next year. Yoo Kang-nam is scheduled to return from a knee injury, but it is not certain how much he will be able to recover his skills. Information-geun also still has not overcome his weakness in hitting, even though he has received enough opportunities.
Against this backdrop, the player who can pin Lotte’s hope on is Son. Son, who was considered a catcher who combined attack and defense since Jangan High School, wore the Lotte uniform as the first choice in the 2020 rookie draft. Lotte expected Son to grow into a catcher who will take charge of its home turf over the next 10 years.
Son, who started this season as a backup catcher, alternately wore a catcher mask with an information worker when Yoo Kang-nam was out for the season. He played the most defensive innings (445 ⅔) among Lotte’s catchers this season, paving the way for him to become a starting pitcher.
He struggled in the absence of Yoo Kang-nam, but it was more regrettable. Son recorded a batting average of 0.197 with six home runs, 21 RBIs and an OPS of 0.653 in 86 games in the 2024 season. His batting average, which was the highest during the season, was only 0.233. At the end of the season, he underwent surgery for a wrist tendon injury, and his poor condition seems to have affected his inability to keep his batting average of 20%.
His batting average in the 100s was disappointing, but the hopeful part was his slugging capability. Son, who hit six home runs this season, showed promise in slugging capability. He also posted a slugging percentage of 0.382, higher than Yoo Kang-nam (0.324) and Information-geun (0.286). With Lotte’s catcher’s team performing very poorly, the record was rather good. 메이저사이트
In order for Son to take a step forward in the 2025 season, he needs to improve his accuracy. He showed potential in slugging but remained in the 10% range, which is definitely regrettable. If he fails to address this issue, chances are high that he will remain in the same position next season. It remains to be seen whether Son will overcome the burden on his shoulders and confidently leap to the starting lineup.