Lee Hyun-gon
| Lee Hyun-Gon | |
|---|---|
| Kia Tigers – No. 31 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: February 21, 1980 | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| KBO debut | |
| May 2, 2002, for the Kia Tigers | |
| KBO statistics (through 2011 Season) | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 23 |
| RBI | 258 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Lee Hyun-Gon (Hangul: 이현곤, Hanja: 李賢坤) (born February 21, 1980 in Gwangju, South Korea) is a South Korean shortstop who plays for the Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization. He bats and throws right-handed.
Amateur career
Lee attended Gwangju Jaeil High School in Gwangju, South Korea. In 1997, he was selected for the South Korea national junior team that finished 5th in the 1997 World Junior Baseball Championship in Canada. Lee led the attack alongside Bong Jung-Keun (the eventual MVP of this event), Choi Hee-Seop and Lee Jin-Young, by hitting .480 with 3 home runs.
Upon graduation from high school, Lee was selected by the Haitai Tigers in the first round of the 1998 KBO Draft. However, he entered Yonsei University instead of turning pro directly. In 1998, he was selected for the South Korea national junior team once again and participated in the 1998 Asian Junior Baseball Championship.
As a sophomore at Yonsei University, Lee made his first appearance with the South Korea national baseball team in November 1999, at the 1999 Intercontinental Cup held in Sydney, Australia.
As a junior in 2000, Lee was named to South Korea national team's final 5-man reserve roster for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
As a senior in 2001, he was selected for the South Korean national team, and competed in the 2001 Asian Baseball Championship in Taiwan. The team eventually earned the silver medal, and Lee won home run and batting average titles including All-Star selection. In November, Lee was called up to the South Korean national team as an amateur player again, and competed in the 2001 Baseball World Cup. In the tournament, he hit .292 as a utility infielder, playing at second base, third base and shortstop.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 |  Canada
|
World Junior Baseball Championship | 5th | .480 BA (12-for-25), 3 HR, 10 RBI |
| 1998 |  Chinese Taipei
|
Asian Junior Baseball Championship | 
|
|
| 1999 |  Australia
|
Intercontinental Cup | 7th | |
| 2001 | Chinese Taipei
|
Asian Baseball Championship | 
|
All-Star (SS), BA & HR title |
| 2001 | Chinese Taipei
|
Baseball World Cup | 6th | .292 BA (7-for-24) |
Professional career
Signed by the Kia Tigers on January 15, 2002, Lee made his pro league debut on May 2, 2002.
2007
Lee's 2007 season was the best of his career, thus far. He played in all 137 regular-season games, and posted career highs in batting average (.338), hits (153), runs (63), doubles (31), RBI (48) and walks (43). Lee won his first batting title, and led the KBO league in hits.
In November, Lee was selected again for the South Korea national team, and competed in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship in Taiwan. However, he had only three at-bats through the tournament, mainly appearing as a pinch runner in the games.
2008
Lee faded the following year. His batting average dipped to just .257, batting at the bottom of the order during the season. Although Lee hit 40 RBIs and again had 100-plus hits (102), he was considered one of the most disappointing offensive players in the 2008 KBO season.
2009
In 2009, Lee played in 120 games as a starting shortstop for the Tigers. However, he struggled at the plate, batting 9th in the order during the whole season, and failed to have three consecutive seasons of 100-plus hits. Lee stole a career-high 11 bases, but finished the season with the second-lowest career batting average of .253, 2 home runs, 33 RBIs and 92 hits.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Chinese Taipei
|
Asian Baseball Championship |
|
.333 BA (1-for-3), 2 R, 1 BB |