Samsung Lions veteran catcher Kang Min-ho (40) expressed his regret over the slump of Choi Choong-yeon (28), who was promising as a prospect. When asked about the team's "golden side" on the YouTube channel "Kim Tae-kyun [TK52]" run by KBSN Sports commentator Kim Tae-kyun on the 3rd, Kang Min-ho said, "There is a junior who has really good qualities but has not burst. That is Choi Choong-yeon."바카라

Kang Min-ho said, "Choi Choong-yeon threw a really good ball in 2018. He was also selected for the national team that year and received a military exemption, but since then, he has been going through a difficult period due to his injuries and mental troubles. It would be nice if I could add strength to the team's must-win group."

Choi Choong-yeon, who has played as an ace in various youth international competitions since his high school days, joined the professional league by receiving the first pick from Samsung in the 2016 rookie draft. However, he struggled with two losses and an ERA of 12.91 in three first-team games in his first year, and the 2017 season also fell short of expectations with a ERA of 7.61 with 3 wins, 8 losses and 3 holds in 42 games.

It wasn't until 2018 that Choi finally proved his potential. Together with Shim Chang-min, Jang Pil-joon, and Woo Kyu-min, he played 85 innings in 70 matches, recording a record of 2-6 with eight saves and 16 holds with an ERA of 3.60. In the same year, he played for the national team at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and won a gold medal, and his future seemed bright as he even received military service benefits. It was also the first year that Kang Min-ho moved to Samsung.

Was it due to overload in the 2018 season, however? In 34 games in the 2019 season, Choi lost two games, had one save and four holds with an ERA of 7.36, showing a downward trend. In January 2020, he was banned from 150 games by the KBO after being caught for drunk driving, and was criticized by public opinion. At the end of the same year, he underwent elbow surgery and had to take the entire 2021 season off.

He returned to the team in the 2022 season but failed to regain his power. He lost one game and posted an ERA of 4.70 in 38 games, and pitched in only seven games in the 2023 season. Even in the second division last year, he continued his slump with two losses and an ERA of 8.59 in nine games, failing to seize the opportunity to rebound.

Training with director Choi Il-eon, back to the first team stage?

Ahead of this season, Choi has been included in the list of Samsung Futures Team's spring camp to be held in Ishikawa, Japan. He is dreaming of revival under the guidance of Choi Il-eon, a "pitcher trainer" who has newly appointed as the team's manager. As the Samsung First Team spring camp, which started from Friday, will take place in Okinawa, Japan, there is a chance that Choi will return to the team sooner than expected if he shows impressive performance in the Futures Camp.

Attention is focusing on whether Choi Choong-yeon, who was once expected to be a promising player, will be able to prove his presence on the first-team mound once again.