1. Overview
Lee Jae-won (이재원I JaewonKorean, 李宰元Chinese, born February 24, 1988) is a South Korean professional baseball catcher who currently plays for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League. He was originally drafted by the SK Wyverns in 2006 and spent the majority of his career with the Wyverns and their successor team, the SSG Landers, before joining the Hanwha Eagles in 2024. Throughout his career, Lee has been known for his batting prowess, particularly against left-handed pitchers, and has achieved significant milestones, including participation in the Asian Games and serving as a team captain.
2. Early Life and Education
Lee Jae-won's early life and educational journey set the foundation for his professional baseball career, beginning in his hometown of Incheon, South Korea.
2.1. Birth and Childhood
Lee Jae-won was born on February 24, 1988, in Incheon, South Korea. His early life experiences in Incheon influenced his path toward a career in professional baseball.
2.2. Education
Lee Jae-won attended Incheon Sungui Elementary School, followed by Sangincheon Middle School, and then Incheon High School. During his high school years, he distinguished himself as a top-tier catcher, drawing attention from professional teams.
3. Professional Baseball Career
Lee Jae-won's professional baseball career spans several teams within the KBO League, marked by significant milestones, military service, and a prominent role as a catcher and occasional first baseman.
3.1. SK Wyverns Era (2006-2010)
Lee Jae-won began his professional career in 2006 when he was selected by the SK Wyverns as their first-round pick in the KBO League draft. At the time, the Wyverns were in need of catchers, with veteran Park Kyung-wan showing signs of aging and promising prospect Jung Sang-ho's development being slow due to his military service. This situation led the team to draft Lee, who was recognized as an exceptional catcher from Incheon High School.
Early in his career, Lee Jae-won frequently served as a pinch-hitter, particularly against left-handed pitchers, due to his strong batting ability. Opportunities in the regular lineup were limited by established sluggers like Lee Ho-jun, Kim Jae-hyun, Park Jung-kwon, Park Jae-hong, and Lee Jin-young. His defensive skills as a catcher were considered lacking compared to other catchers like Park Kyung-wan, Cho In-sung, and Jung Sang-ho, leading to his more frequent deployment as a pinch-hitter or designated hitter.
In 2006, then-manager Cho Beom-hyun gave Lee Jae-won 23 appearances, utilizing him as a backup catcher to Park Kyung-wan, which helped showcase his talent. Due to his exceptional batting talent, managers often deployed him as a first baseman to maximize his offensive contributions. He finished the season with 15 hits in 48 at-bats.
When Kim Sung-geun took over as manager in 2007, Jung Sang-ho, who had returned from military service, was favored over Lee Jae-won for the backup catcher role due to his stronger defensive capabilities. Lee continued to be utilized primarily as a pinch-hitter or designated hitter, recording a .300 batting average, though he did not accumulate enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. In 66 games, he had 36 hits in 108 at-bats, also hitting his first home run and recording his first stolen base that year.
In 2008, Lee received more opportunities as a catcher, appearing in 82 games and recording 46 hits in 146 at-bats. Following the season, he underwent elbow surgery in November. For the 2009 season, his recovery from surgery prevented him from being available for Opening Day. He appeared in 24 games, getting 11 hits in 32 at-bats. The 2010 season proved to be his most challenging early on, as he struggled as a pinch-hitter, appearing in 54 games with only 18 hits in 70 at-bats.
3.2. Military Service (Sangmu Baseball Team)
Lee Jae-won chose to fulfill his compulsory military service despite opposition from manager Kim Sung-geun. He joined the Sangmu Baseball Team, the military's professional baseball squad. During his service, he initially played primarily as a first baseman, as he was often overshadowed by other catchers like Lee Ji-young. However, in his second year with Sangmu, he saw more playing time as a catcher, ahead of players such as Park Dong-won and Lee Hee-geun. He returned to the SK Wyverns in September 2012.
3.3. SK Wyverns & SSG Landers Era (2012-2023)
Upon returning from military service in 2012, Lee Jae-won resumed his career with the SK Wyverns. In 2014, he achieved a career milestone by hitting his first double-digit home run total, finishing with 12. He recorded an impressive .394 batting average in the first half of the season, earning him his first selection to the KBO All-Star Game. Although his batting average sharply declined to .208 in the second half, he played in over 100 games for the first time in his career. In September of that year, he was selected for the South Korean national baseball team for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, where he contributed to the team's victory, making a crucial appearance in the final game.
In 2018, Lee was named the captain of the SK Wyverns. He was also selected for the South Korean national baseball team for the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, where he played a significant role in South Korea securing its third consecutive gold medal. Following the 2018 season, he became a free agent (FA) and signed a four-year contract to remain with the Wyverns, valued at a total of 6.90 B KRW.
In 2021, after the team rebranded to the SSG Landers, Lee Jae-won was re-appointed as team captain, following Choi Jeong. However, his captaincy was ended by the end of the 2021 season. On November 23, 2023, Lee Jae-won requested his release from the SSG Landers, ending his long tenure with the club.
3.4. Hanwha Eagles Era (2024-)
Following his release from the SSG Landers, Lee Jae-won joined the Hanwha Eagles in December 2023. He continues to play as a catcher for the team in the 2024 KBO League season.
4. Playing Style and Characteristics
Lee Jae-won is known for his distinctive playing style, primarily characterized by his strong batting abilities, especially against left-handed pitchers, despite some defensive limitations as a catcher.
His effectiveness against left-handed pitchers is a notable aspect of his offensive game. From 2007 to 2013, he maintained a batting average of .320 against left-handers, with 103 hits in 321 at-bats. This strength led him to be frequently utilized in a platoon role early in his professional career. In 2014, he was particularly dominant against left-handers, batting .387. However, this trend was not consistent, as in 2015, his batting average against left-handers dropped to .258, which was lower than his .297 average against right-handers that season. By 2018, he once again demonstrated his prowess, recording a .410 batting average against left-handed pitchers.
While Lee Jae-won possesses significant batting talent, his defensive capabilities as a catcher have often been cited as a weakness. This led to him being frequently used as a first baseman or pinch-hitter throughout his career, allowing teams to leverage his offensive skills while managing his defensive limitations behind the plate.
5. Trivia and Nicknames
Lee Jae-won is associated with a notable anecdote and nickname stemming from his draft year, illustrating a significant moment in KBO League history.
A prominent nickname associated with Lee Jae-won is "Ryu Geo-i" (류거이Ryu Geo-iKorean), which translates to "picked Lee Jae-won over Ryu Hyun-jin". This nickname originated from the 2006 KBO League draft, where the SK Wyverns chose Lee Jae-won as their first-round pick instead of Ryu Hyun-jin, who was then a pitcher from Dongsan High School. The Wyverns' decision was reportedly driven by their pressing need for catchers at the time. Despite the rationale, Ryu Hyun-jin went on to become one of the most dominant pitchers in KBO League history and later achieved success in MLB, making the "Ryu Geo-i" story a well-known piece of KBO trivia highlighting the contrasting careers of the two players following the draft.
6. Career Statistics
This section provides a comprehensive overview of Lee Jae-won's professional baseball statistics throughout his career, detailing his annual batting performance and the uniform numbers he has worn.
6.1. Batting Statistics by Year
| Year | Team | Batting Average | Games | At-Bats | Runs | Hits | Doubles | Triples | Home Runs | Total Bases | RBIs | Stolen Bases | Caught Stealing | Walks | Hit By Pitch | Strikeouts | Double Plays | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | SK Wyverns | 0.313 | 23 | 48 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2007 | SK Wyverns | 0.333 | 66 | 108 | 16 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 |
| 2008 | SK Wyverns | 0.315 | 82 | 146 | 14 | 46 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 70 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 24 | 8 | 3 |
| 2009 | SK Wyverns | 0.344 | 24 | 32 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 | SK Wyverns | 0.257 | 54 | 70 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 2012 | SK Wyverns | 0.321 | 16 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | SK Wyverns | 0.252 | 69 | 226 | 27 | 57 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 93 | 41 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 4 | 32 | 8 | 0 |
| 2014 | SK Wyverns | 0.337 | 120 | 412 | 48 | 139 | 30 | 2 | 12 | 209 | 83 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 12 | 66 | 14 | 7 |
| 2015 | SK Wyverns | 0.282 | 140 | 489 | 58 | 138 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 209 | 100 | 1 | 3 | 54 | 11 | 85 | 22 | 3 |
| 2016 | SK Wyverns | 0.290 | 130 | 411 | 49 | 119 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 179 | 64 | 1 | 5 | 43 | 9 | 76 | 15 | 8 |
| 2017 | SK Wyverns | 0.242 | 114 | 314 | 32 | 76 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 118 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 55 | 9 | 3 |
| 2018 | SK Wyverns | 0.329 | 130 | 407 | 63 | 134 | 24 | 0 | 17 | 209 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 12 | 65 | 13 | 11 |
| 2019 | SK Wyverns | 0.268 | 139 | 451 | 33 | 121 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 176 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 9 | 59 | 16 | 6 |
| 2020 | SK Wyverns | 0.185 | 80 | 222 | 18 | 41 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 | 24 | 12 | 3 |
| 2021 | SSG Landers | 0.280 | 107 | 271 | 29 | 76 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 98 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 5 | 47 | 14 | 7 |
| 2022 | SSG Landers | 0.201 | 105 | 234 | 27 | 47 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 65 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 8 | 44 | 13 | 4 |
| 2023 | SSG Landers | 0.091 | 27 | 44 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | Hanwha Eagles | 0.254 | 68 | 126 | 16 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | 16 | 0 | 0 | 7 | - | 17 | - | - |
| Total | 18 Seasons | 0.270 | 1492 | 4039 | 448 | 1119 | 191 | 5 | 109 | 1608 | 628 | 12 | 12 | 381 | 93 | 640 | 160 | 61 |
6.2. Uniform Numbers
Throughout his professional career, Lee Jae-won has worn several uniform numbers:
- 12 (2006-2010)
- 34 (2012)
- 20 (2013-2023, 2025-)
- 32 (2024)