[Official] SSG, '40 years old' Lee Ji-young signed a two-year, multi-year contract "to strengthen the competitiveness of catcher and foster juniors."

*This content was translated by AI.

One of the big gains for SSG Landers last year was the discovery of Cho Hyung-woo (24), the main catcher. Nevertheless, SSG clearly had a separate role expected from a veteran catcher.

SSG said on the 6th, "We signed a multi-year contract with veteran catcher Lee Ji-young (40) for a total of 500 million won (400 million annual salary, 100 million option) for a two-year contract period."

Due to Cho Hyung-woo's growth, he played only 76 games last year, but he is still an indispensable catcher at SSG.

Lee Ji-young, who started his career with the Samsung Lions in 2009 and moved to SSG ahead of the 2024 season after passing through the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019, hit a batting average of 0.278 and 1,100 hits in 1,469 games in 15 seasons.

SSG, which had a batting average of 0.279 in 123 games in 2024, played a big role in offense and defense, gave Cho Hyung-woo more opportunities last year and showed some disappointment in batting with a batting average of 0.238 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.606 in 102 games, but also boasted a strong shoulder as the third-best catcher with a stolen base blocking percentage (28.2%) among the catchers who played more than 600 innings.

Regarding Lee Ji-young, SSG said, "I faithfully played the role of mentor within the team by helping new catchers such as Cho Hyung-woo and Lee Yul-ye grow. He also said that last year, he led the stable operation of young bullpen pitchers and contributed greatly to strengthening the team's power.

"Lee Ji-young is a veteran catcher with rich experience and stable defense skills, and is highly regarded for her strong professionalism and smooth communication skills within the team," he said. "In particular, Lee Ji-young appreciated the game management ability and leadership shown in the catcher's position, and we decided to proceed with the contract because we believe it will play an important bridge role in strengthening the competitiveness of the team's catcher team and fostering juniors."

After completing the contract, Lee Ji-young said, "I am grateful to the club for presenting a multi-year contract, and it is meaningful to continue to be with SSG in the future. I will do my best to achieve good results with my colleagues and juniors," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.