Lee showed off his batting talent right away at Kiwoom, and he got a 100% raise from his annual salary renewal. He almost caught up with LG's big-name "Jamsil Big Boy" Lee Jae-won's salary.
Lee joined LG in the second round (13th overall) in the 2020 rookie draft. Lee was evaluated as having good batting ability when he was in Gyeongnam High School.
Lee made his debut in the first division in the 2021 season, and played in 14 games that year, posting a batting average of 12.5 (2 hits in 16 at-bats). Lee joined the Korean pro baseball league in August, finished his mandatory military service, and returned to LG in March last year.
Lee played in a program to recover from his mandatory military service and played in second-tier Futures League games, adapting himself to the batting average of around 30%. However, there were no vacancies in the first division. He was called up to the first division in late May and was given a chance to serve as a substitute, but he failed to display his capability adequately at limited opportunities.
Lee has recorded a batting average of .300 in the Futures League since he was a rookie. He has shown potential with a batting average of .356 (31 hits in 87 at-bats) and an OPS of 1.099 in 2020. He had a batting average of .331 (43 hits in 130 at-bats) in 2021 and returned after completing military service, recording an OPS of 1.000 last year with a batting average of .3230 (30 hits in 93 at-bats).
At the end of July last year, LG traded for Kiwoom to bolster its starting pitchers. Bringing in Choi Won-tae, it yielded prospects Lee Ju-hyung, rookie pitcher Kim Dong-kyu, and a first-round draft pick.
Lee Ju-hyung, who was guaranteed a chance to play in Kiwoom, immediately became a powerhouse. Lee Ju-hyung, who played as a starting lineup as soon as he was traded, displayed his batting ability properly when he was given a stable opportunity to play. It was an environment that could not be achieved in LG, which is full of national outfielders.
Lee played in 69 games for Kiwoom with a batting average of 326 (70 hits in 215 at-bats) with six homers and 36 RBIs and an OPS of .897. He proved his potential for success by playing for half a season. As Lee Jung-hoo left for the Major League, Lee is also mentioned as Lee Jung-hoo's successor.
Lee Ju-hyung signed a 66 million won contract, up 100 percent from 33 million won last year, from his annual salary renewal. It was the highest rate of increase in Kiwoom's team. The amount he would not be able to receive if he remained at LG.
LG has limited opportunities for promising players due to its deep depth. Lee Jae-won, dubbed "Jamsil Big Boy," has been able to display his capability but has not been able to display his capability. He tried to raise the team as the main player last year, but failed to take advantage of the opportunity due to frequent injuries. When he was in good physical condition, there were no vacancies. It was difficult to penetrate the positions of outfield (Hong Chang-ki, Park Hae-min, Moon Sung-joo), first base (Austin), and designated hitter (Kim Hyun-soo).
Lee Jae-won recorded a batting average of 214 with four homers and 18 RBIs in 57 games (24 hits in 112 times at bat) last year. He renewed his contract at 70 million won (64,930 U.S. dollars), a reduction of 15 million won (13,037 dollars) from 85 million won (8,430 dollars) last year.
Lee Ju-hyung, who left LG in a trade and took the opportunity to become a starting player, almost caught up with the annual salary of Lee Jae-won, who is two years his senior.