95 hits LG backup 'A High School → Over 200 million won a year' back story, there was consideration for the winning captain. (Park) Hae-min helped me a lot... "How can I repay you?" [Incheon Airport]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins infield utility Koo Bon-hyuk (29) celebrated a happy new year thanks to the warm consideration of the winning captain Park Hae-min (36) and his brothers.

Koo Bon-hyuk met with reporters at Incheon International Airport before leaving the 2026 LG Spring Camp on the 22nd and said, "(Park) Hae-min helped me a lot last year. The KBO Photogenic Award also wanted to give it to me, and I was not rated A because I was about three times short in calculating my salary. But (Park) Hae-min told the club," he said after the salary negotiations.

Prior to the departure of the spring camp, the LG club completed an annual salary contract with 48 people subject to renewal in 2026. While the overall salary increase was not high due to salary cap, Koo Bon-hyuk received 230 million won, up 70.4% from 135 million won. It is the third highest annual salary increase among the players disclosed.

Last year, Koo Bon-hyuk played the most games since joining LG in the 55th place in the 6th round of the 2nd round of the 2019 KBO Rookie Draft. He marked a batting average of 0.286 (98 hits in 343 at-bats) with one homer, 38 RBIs, 41 points and 10 steals in 131 regular-season games, and an on-base percentage of 0.364 on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.353 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.717.

In particular, in the second half of the year, he was proudly recognized as a winner as he showed off his presence as much as the main player with a batting average of 0.366 (49 hits in 134 times at bat) in 50 games. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said after winning, "This year (2025), Koo Bon-hyuk was just the main player. He did well in any position and was able to win the championship thanks to him. I hope he does this next year (2026)."

However, according to the internal salary calculation standard, Koo Bon-hyuk was a little short of at-bats in Grade A. If Koo Bon-hyuk recognizes it, the amount of money that goes to other A-class players will also decrease. It was Park Hae-min, the captain, who stepped up from here.

Koo Bon-hyuk said, "I think the club posted it because (Park) Hae-min told me. I heard that if I become A grade, the amount that others receive is significantly lower as it is added rather than other people being excluded. Nevertheless, Hae-min told me, and other brothers, such as (Park) Dong-won, (Oh) Ji-hwan, and (Im) Chan-kyu, readily agreed, so I went up. I'm constantly thinking about how to repay this," he said.

It also means that other LG members recognized Koo Bon-hyuk's performance. Last year, Koo Bon-hyuk showed off his appearance as a super utility by playing 220 ⅔ innings in 35 games at second base, 328 ⅔ innings in 68 games at third base, 315 innings in 57 games at shortstop, and 16 innings in 4 games at left field. As a result, he ranked second after Song Sung-moon (30, San Diego Padres) in the third baseman category in KBO defense.

This year, he will focus only on infield defense. I didn't bring my outfield glove. Koo Bon-hyuk said, "Actually, I was going to make a customized outfield glove, but coach Song Ji-man said I didn't need it. There are many good players in the outfield, so I don't think I'll need them in the beginning, he said. "I'm confident that I'll do well in the outfield even if I don't practice." "I'm going around the infield like now and trying to focus on everything so that I can do well," he said.

His goal this year is to make 100 hits in the season, which he failed to complete last year. Koo Bon-hyuk said, "It was very bad in the first half of last year and it was okay in the second half. I think I found a direction I can do well in the second half. The batting average and the number of hits went up a lot when I hit the ball that hit my body. Wouldn't he be able to hit a .300 batting average if he plays well in both the first and second half. The goal is to maintain that and become a player who can do well in both the first and second half of this year. I'll try to make 100 hits."

He was humble despite compliments from others that he was a main backup. When asked by reporters, "What do you think of the term 'main player if you go to another team?' Koo Bon-hyuk said, "I don't think so. I think that if I can't play the main role at LG, I can't play in other teams. That's how I feel at ease," he said, shaking his head. "The club took good care of me, and I want to hear that I did my best and was worth it," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.