"(Son) Ah-seop is having a hard time." KBO's most hits are 'FA Mia Crisis'... "I'm a month into retirement." I was sad, too

*This content was translated by AI.

Hwang Jae-gyun (39), who announced his retirement from active duty last month, expressed his regret over Son Ah-seop (38), who is on the verge of FA Mia.

Hwang Jae-kyun met with reporters at LG Champions Park in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do on the 7th and said, "I'm talking a lot with (Son) Ah-seop. The (FA market) situation is not good right now and Aseob is having a hard time," he said.

On this day, Hwang Jae-gyun attended a youth clinic co-hosted by the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) secretariat and the San Francisco club. Hwang Jae-gyun also wore an ivory uniform for the first time in a long time at the event, which was attended by San Francisco CEO Larry Baer, baseball team president Buster Posey, general manager Jack Minasian, manager Bytello, player representative Lee Jung-hoo, and Willy Adames. Recently, Hwang Jae-gyun retired on the 19th of last month after being offered by his original team KT.

Son Ah-seop made a different choice in a similar situation. Son Ah-seop steadily built hits despite being traded from the NC Dinos to the Hanwha Eagles during the season last year. He hit a batting average of 0.288 (107 hits in 372 at-bats) in 111 regular-season games, one homer, 50 RBIs and 39 runs, and an on-base percentage of 0.352 slugging percentage of 0.371. Based on his steady performance, he declared his third career FA.

However, the outside air is colder than I thought. There is no common rumor that Son is interested in him, and negotiations with Hanwha, the original team, are lukewarm. It is a pity that the wind is particularly cold compared to veterans of the same age. In contrast, Kim Hyun-soo (38) confirmed his decision to go to the Samsung Lions at a maximum of 2.6 billion won in two years and Kang Min-ho (41) at a maximum of 2 billion won in two years with the full guarantee of 5 billion won for three years.

The reason why many clubs cannot readily come forward to Son Ah-seop is that the high compensation and the scope of use are extremely limited. Son Ah-seop's annual salary last year was 500 million won. In order for a club other than its original team to recruit him, it has to pay 750 million won, or 150 percent of its annual salary, to Hanwha. The public perception that he is a corner outfielder with no slugging power even if he is recruited has driven him to the verge of missing a child. Kim Jae-hwan (38), who is in a similar position, won a two-year, 2.2 billion won contract despite controversy over expedient FA. On the other hand, Son Ah-seop last hit a double-digit home run in 2020.

Given that he is still a player who is expected to produce consistent hits, he cannot let go of his dream of extending his active career. Son Ah-seop is a hitting machine that represents the KBO league. Since his debut in the first division with Lotte in 2007, he has set a record of 100 hits for 14 consecutive years since 2010, ranking No. 1 in the KBO with 2,618 hits until last year.

Last season, only 20 fielders with more than 250 at-bats recorded a higher batting average. In addition, Son Ah-seop won the batting king and the Golden Glove with a batting average of 0.339 (187 hits in 551 at-bats) in 140 games right after the worst season in 2022. Thorough self-management and passion for baseball were possible because they were no less than rookie players.

It is Hwang Jae-gyun who knows Son Ah-seop best. Hwang Jae-gyun and Son Ah-seop were colleagues who led the Busan Seagull's flight from 2010 to 2016. Hwang Jae-gyun joked, "I can't even say anything because I'm too close to him (because it's hard)," but cheered, "I told (Son) Ah-seop to do what he wanted and hold on."

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*This content was translated by AI.