Yoon Jeong-bin, a promising left-handed hitter of the Samsung Lions, has finally started to break the ice. At the age of 25, he has finally established himself in the team. Coincidentally, there is a senior at Samsung 16 years ago who was reborn as a substitute hitter by exerting full potential. Will Yoon be able to follow this path.

Yoon Jeong-bin, a graduate of Bucheon High School, was selected by Samsung as the 42nd pick in the second round of the 2018 Rookie Draft. He attracted a lot of attention as Samsung's next-generation power heater when he was drafted, but he spent many years in the second division rather than making his early debut in the first division. After solving military problems early in Sangmu, he made his first debut in the first division in 2022.안전놀이터

The world of professionals was not easy. He played in only 13 games during the 2022 season. He failed to garner a walk, let alone a hit. He had 28 more chances to play in the 2023 season, but still left disappointing results with a batting average of 0.147 OPS of 0.561.

In 2024, when he turned 25, he finally made his name known to fans. He played in 69 games and recorded 46 hits, seven homers, 20 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.286 OPS of 0.831 in his career. According to Statistics Korea, his career-high scoring ability (wRC+) also recorded 113.7 for the first time in his career, outperforming the league average for the first time.

He created many scenes that were particularly strong. He had a solo home run against SSG Landers on June 20 last year, and had 50,000 hits in total. He had a leadoff hit in the ninth inning against the LG Twins on June 25, failing to complete Casey Kelly's perfect game.

He also showed impressive performance in the postseason. As the second batter in the first playoff game against LG, he reported three hits and three runs from four times at bat. He played in the postseason for the first time in his career, but played the role of a detonator in the second batting order.

Based on his performance this season, his salary has increased significantly. Yoon's salary has risen 100 percent from 37 million won to 74 million won. His 100 percent increase rate is the third highest in his team.

Sixteen years ago in 2008, 25-year-old Choi Hyung-woo also began to emerge as the best hitter in the KBO, washing away his sadness. Prior to that, Choi played in six games in the first division and had only two hits. He was released by Samsung, but overcame his sadness and became a different player on the Korean National Police Agency baseball team. After joining Samsung again in 2008, Choi made 106 hits, 19 homers, 71 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.276 OPS of 0.851 in 126 games. Since then, he has played as Samsung's No. 4 hitter, opening the era of Choi's heyday.

Of course, Yoon still lacks performance compared to Choi. However, his potential in 2024 cannot be ignored. The ratio of flying balls increased from 22.7 percent in 2023 to 44.0 percent in 2024. As he finally started flying the ball, his performance surged. His performance against the right-hander is also noteworthy. He showed strong performance against the right-handed pitcher with a batting average of 0.299 OPS of 0.887.

He also clearly has weaknesses. His performance against left-handers is disappointing because he has a batting average of 0.208 OPS of 0.509. However, if limited to the second half of the season, he has adapted to the batting average of 0.357 OPS of 0.829.

The team also needs to strengthen its defense capabilities. In the first round of the Korean Series, the team made an error-prone play in the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead, providing an excuse for the team to come from behind. He is a player who has strength in offense rather than defense, but defense is essential to catch coach Park Jin-man's eyes.

Yoon and Choi have a lot in common. They started showing performances in the 25-year-old season, and are both right-handed and left-handed outfielders who excel in hitting rather than defense. Choi, a senior player, hit 23 home runs in 2009 when he was 26 years old, becoming the perfect fourth batter of Samsung. How will Yoon turn 26 in 2025 as well? Will he be able to grow into a pillar of Samsung like his seniors.