The world's Choi Hyung-woo has stuck to Kim Young-woong! 43-Year-Old Legend Is Shy, Why Did You Come 'First' to a 20-year-old junior

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Hyung-woo (43) of the world has claimed to be a stickler for his junior Kim Young-woong (23), who has become a new teammate.

After the 2026 Samsung Spring Camp training held at Akama Ball Park in Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on the 22nd, Choi Hyung-woo met with reporters and said, "I'm talking to Kim Young-woong these days. I take a break on the 23rd and play again from the 24th, and I'm going to watch (Kim) Young-woong a little bit when he hits," he said. "I want to talk about a good way, but I don't know what the hero will say because he has his own," he said.

Samsung signed an FA contract with Choi Hyung-woo in December last year for up to 2.6 billion won for two years. It was his first return to his home team in nine years. When returning, Choi Hyung-woo aimed to adapt quickly. There was a reason. Choi Hyung-woo joined Samsung in the 48th place in the 6th round of the second round of the 2002 KBO Rookie Draft. He is 24 years younger than Jang Chan-hee (19), the "youngest member of the camp," who was nominated as the 29th overall in the third round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. Choi Hyung-woo said, "I'm almost 20 years apart from a young player now. Twenty years is as old as my father, but no matter how comfortable I am, it is not easy," he said.

Kim Young-woong, who is already in his fifth year as a professional, is just like a son to Choi Hyung-woo. He tried to approach Kim Young-woong first. This is because of the possibility of Kim Young-woong, who was also confirmed outside. Kim Young-woong was selected as the third overall pick in the second round of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft and has been in the first division since his first year as a professional. In his third year, he hit 28 home runs to announce his potential and 22 home runs last year.

However, it was not in the eyes of legend Choi Hyung-woo, who had double-digit home runs for 18 consecutive years and the most RBIs in KBO career. Choi Hyung-woo said, "The fans will do well, but in my eyes, I think it's not yet. "I don't think a batting average of .25 and 20 home runs is a record for A-class players," he said in a cold evaluation.

In fact, Kim Young-woong has a low batting average of 0.243 (245 hits in 1008 at-bats) in 319 games. It is not that he has excellent pioneering eyes, so he has a career on-base percentage of only 0.313, with 101 walks and 333 strikeouts.

Choi Hyung-woo recalled himself as a child and wanted to help Kim Young-woong. Choi Hyung-woo was not a good player from the start. He played only six games in the first team until 2004, and was finally notified of his release by Samsung in 2005. However, the National Police Agency baseball team established the foundation for a reversal. He ranked first in the Futures League in all batting categories except stolen bases in 2007 and succeeded in rejoining Samsung in 2008.

He hit double-digit homers in his first full-time year and reached his first .300 batting average in 2011. Since 2013, he has recorded a batting average of .300 for eight consecutive seasons, and his overall batting average has reached .310. Choi Hyung-woo said, "I know because I've been through it. I would have hit a .28 batting average and hit 20 home runs for about 3 years after serving in the military, but I was not satisfied at that time. At that time, I thought I would only be that kind of player if I did this, so I made a huge change," he recalled.

"A lot has changed since then, too. (Kim)I think Hero can change, too. All you have to do is be greedy. If you say you're satisfied with your current grades, there's actually no progress. I think it would be better to change your style a little more," he said.

I thought Kim Young-woong had the potential to hit 30 home runs with a batting average of 300. Kim Young-woong set the record for the most RBIs in a single season in the playoffs last year, pushing the runner-up Hanwha Eagles to the brink. It is not an easy achievement unless you have a strong heart. Choi Hyung-woo said, "If you are an A-class player, you must hit a batting average of .300 and 30 home runs unconditionally. (Kim)Hero is still incredibly young and has great potential for development. I think it depends on how you make up your mind," he stressed.

Choi Hyung-woo decided to approach first because he knew how difficult it was to be a senior by the age of 20. Choi Hyung-woo said, "I was also very shy, so it was ambiguous at first. Now I and the children have completely adjusted," he said with a smile. "In the future, few young players will come to me first. I'm almost 20 years apart from a young player now. Twenty years is as old as my father, but no matter how comfortable I am, it is not easy," he said, understanding the feelings of his juniors.

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*This content was translated by AI.