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Highly anticipated first- and second-round rookies are missing from the first team spring training roster - here's why.

The SSG Landers' spring training squad left the country on the 25th. SSG will hold its first spring camp at the Jackie Robinson Sports Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, USA, as it did last year. Although the official training starts on February 1, many players boarded the plane on February 25 for jet lag and early individual training. Choi Jeong-jeong, Kim Kwang-hyun, Han Yu-seom, Park Sung-sung, Oh Won-seok, Choi Min-joon, Kim Sung-hyun, and Oh Tae-gon departed the country via Incheon International Airport on February 25. Head coach Lee Sung-yong also left with the players on the same day. The main team, which includes other coaching staff and players, will depart on the 30th.

SSG has announced the roster for its spring camps ahead of their departure. The Florida camp, which is dominated by first-team players, will feature 41 players, none of whom are 2024 rookies. In last year's rookie draft, SSG selected Se-ad Park Ji-hwan, the highest-rated high school infielder in the first round, and Lee Seung-min, the son of Samsung Lions head coach Lee Byung-gyu, who is expected to develop into a middle-to-long range hitter, in the second round. It is common to include one or two rookie top-rounders in the first team camp. This is to help them adapt quickly and stay motivated. A year ago, SSG had the good fortune to have rookies Lee Rin and Song Young-jin stay with them from the first camp and join the opening roster.

This year, things are a little different. The SSG rookies have been training at the Ganghwa Futures Stadium since November. The rookies have been guided by the second-team coaching staff, led by head coach Son Si-heon. General manager Kim Jae-hyun and head coach Lee Seung-yong also traveled to Ganghwa to meet the players and check their physical condition. However, Kim Jae-hyun decided they still needed more time. "They have good qualities and physicality, but they still need to build up their bodies a little more in terms of strength and other things," he said.

So the rookies will start their first professional training at the second team camp in Taiwan. "We talked to the club and decided to start in Taiwan, and I think that's better. If we start with the first team camp, the amount of training and things like that will be less than the second team camp, and it's not easy to focus on the rookies. It will also create a free atmosphere in the second team camp. I also discussed with coach Son Si-heon that the first team is going to Taiwan for the second camp and it's 바카라사이트 not far from the second team's training site, so I intentionally staggered the rest days. After they go to Taiwan, I will sneak over and watch them train."

Park Ji-hwan and Lee Seung-min are expected to make a big impact for SSG, which hopes to gradually change the generation. The same goes for the other rookies. There is a consensus that new faces are needed. However, Lee left open the possibility of the rookies joining the first team camp. "If the evaluation is good in the second team camp, the possibility of joining is always open. I went to Ganghwa and saw it myself, but it seems like the rookies still need more time," he added.