Lee Taek-Keun

Infobox KBO player
bgcolor1=#820124
bgcolor2=grey
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Lee Taek-Keun
position=Outfielder
team=Woori Heroes
number=29
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1980|7|10
debutyear=2003
debutdate=April 2
debutteam=Hyundai Unicorns
statyear=2007
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.308
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=28
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=161
teams=
*Hyundai Unicorns / Woori Heroes (2003–2007) / (2008–present)Infobox Korean name
hangul=이택근
hanja= 李宅根
rr=I Taekgeun
mr=I T'aekkŭn

Lee Taek-Keun (Hangul: 이택근, Hanja: 李宅根) (born July 10, 1980 in Busan, South Korea) is an outfielder who plays for the Woori Heroes in Korean professional baseball league.

Amateur career

Attending Kyungnam Commerce High School in Busan, South Korea, Lee was a catcher. In 1998, he was selected for the South Korea national junior team that finished in the 3rd place at the 1998 Asian Junior Baseball Championship in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

After graduation from high school, he got into Korea University instead of turning pro directly in 1999.

In his freshman year at Korea University, he made his first appearance for the South Korea national baseball team, and competed in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup (this team was made up of only college players). In 2002, he competed in the 1st World University Baseball Championship in Messina, Italy.

Notable international careers

Professional career

Signed by the Hyundai Unicorns in 2003, Lee started his pro career as a catcher, but failed to make an impact with the team as a catcher in the Unicorns because of his defensive deficiencies even though he became one of the most reliable and consistent hitters in the team. So, the team convinced Lee to convert to the outfield in spring training 2006. As the 2006 season started, the team finally moved Lee to the outfield permernantly.

In the 2006 season, he finished second in batting average (.322), tenth in RBI (66) and sixth in hits (135), and was selected to the All-Star team. After the season, he was selected for the South Korea national team and competed in the 2006 Asian Games held in Doha, Qatar.

In 2007, he finished ninth in batting average (.313) and sixth in hits (137), and participated in the Asian Baseball Championship and led his team to the silver medal.

Notable international careers

References

* [http://www.koreabaseball.com/record/player.asp?player_id=73342 Profile and stats on the KBO official website]