[Official] 'In the midst of KIA's fall baseball,' they ultimately could not escape the cold wind: 'FA veteran and a player with 1,133 career games included among six players notified of release'... 10 developmental contract players also removed in bulk

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Although they are in the midst of fall baseball, the KIA Tigers are already preparing for next season. Ahead of the playoffs against the Samsung Lions, they announced a list of released players.

On the 23rd, KIA officially announced, "We have decided not to renew contracts with six players: outfielders Go Jong-uk and Lee Chang-jin, and pitchers Hong Geon-hee, Kim Sa-yoon, Kim Dae-yu, and Yoon Jung-hyun."

The most notable name is 34-year-old veteran pitcher Hong Geon-hee. Having started his professional career with KIA in 2011, Hong Geon-hee performed as an all-around player, rotating between the starting rotation, the high-leverage bullpen, the chase-down role, and the closer position.

Hong Geon-hee returned to Gwangju last January after signing a one-year free agent (FA) contract with KIA for a total of 700 million won (650 million won base salary, 50 million won in incentives). This marked his return to his former team after six years, following his trade to Doosan in June 2020.

Hong Geon-hee completed the schedules for both the first and second spring camps and even appeared in exhibition games. However, he failed to make the opening day roster and struggled to find playing time during the regular season as well. In this season, he made only four appearances in the first division, recording one hold and an ERA of 4.50 before leaving the team again just one year after his return. Hong Geon-hee's career KBO League record stands at 492 appearances with 27 wins, 48 losses, 58 saves, 56 holds, and an ERA of 4.92.

Veteran outfielders Go Jong-uk and Lee Chang-jin also ultimately could not escape the cold wind of release. Go Jong-uk, who debuted with Nexen (now Kiwoom) Heroes in 2011 and played for KIA from 2022, had primarily served as a left-handed pinch hitter, pinch runner, and defensive substitute. However, this season he appeared in 27 games but managed only a .094 batting average (3 hits in 32 at-bats), failing to show any significant performance.

Go Jong-uk has played in 1,133 career KBO regular season games, recording 992 hits in 3,306 at-bats for a career batting average of .300. He hit 165 doubles, 36 triples, and 50 home runs. His slugging percentage is .417 and his on-base percentage is .337. Along with these stats, he recorded 493 runs scored and 417 RBIs, while successfully stealing 131 bases. He drew 179 walks and was hit by 18 pitches, while striking out 688 times. In the field, he committed 20 career errors.

Outfielder Lee Chang-jin, who played nine seasons exclusively for KIA starting in 2018, also saw his position narrow and ultimately could not avoid release. Once a regular starter, he has recently been pushed out by younger players, leading to reduced playing opportunities. This season, he appeared in only three games in the first division.

Lee Chang-jin played in a total of 655 KBO regular season games, recording 433 hits in 1,665 at-bats for a career batting average of .260. He hit 82 doubles, 6 triples, and 22 home runs. His slugging percentage is .356 and his on-base percentage is .355. He scored 256 runs and recorded 192 RBIs, while successfully stealing bases on 29 occasions. He drew 240 walks and was hit by 15 pitches, while striking out 340 times. In the field, he committed a total of 9 errors.

Pitchers Kim Dae-yu, Kim Sa-yoon, and Yoon Jung-hyun also received notifications of non-renewal. First, Kim Dae-yu, who graduated from Busan Central Elementary School, Busan Middle School, and Busan High School, was drafted by Nexen in the third round, 18th overall, in 2010. He played for SK Wyverns (predecessor of SSG Landers), KT Wiz, and LG Twins before joining KIA from the 2023 season. At that time, KIA designated Kim Dae-yu as the compensation player for Park Dong-won's FA contract with LG. In his KBO regular season career, he made 255 appearances, pitching 194 innings for a career ERA of 4.55. He recorded 6 wins, 6 losses, and 50 holds, with a winning percentage of .500. He allowed 186 hits (including 14 home runs), issued 88 walks, and was hit by 31 pitches, while striking out 182 batters. He allowed 102 runs (98 earned).

Kim Sa-yoon, who graduated from Gwangju Hwajeong Elementary School, Mudeung Middle School, and Hwasun High School, was drafted by SK in the third round, 28th overall, in the 2013 rookie draft and joined the team in 2015. His professional debut came two years later, in 2017. That year, he made 2 appearances, pitching 3 innings while allowing 2 hits, issuing 4 walks, striking out 3 batters, and allowing 3 runs. After completing his military service at the Sangmu team from 2018 to 2019, Kim Sa-yoon returned to SK for the 2020 season, appearing in the most games of his career. In the 2020 season, he made 57 appearances, recording 1 win, 1 loss, 1 save, 10 holds, and an ERA of 5.13.

Kim Sa-yoon changed uniforms via trade during the 2022 season. A 1:2 trade was finalized in which KIA sent catcher Kim Min-sik to SSG in exchange for pitcher Kim Sa-yoon and infielder Im Seok-jin. He made 31 appearances in the 2022 season, recording 3 wins, no losses, 2 holds, and an ERA of 7.00. In the 2024 season, he made 23 appearances, recording 1 loss, 1 save, and an ERA of 4.62. He did not pitch in the first division during the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Yoon Jung-hyun, who graduated from Gwangju Seoseok Elementary School, Mudeung Middle School, Gwangju First High School, and Sungkyunkwan University, was drafted by KIA in the second round, 9th pick (86th overall) in 2018 and joined the team in 2021. In his KBO League career, he appeared in 132 games, recording 11 wins, 8 losses, 7 holds, an ERA of 4.82, and pitching a total of 185 innings while allowing 215 hits (including 19 home runs), issuing 23 hit-by-pitches, 71 walks, striking out 79 batters, and allowing 111 runs (99 earned).

Additionally, KIA stated, "We have requested the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to remove 10 developmental contract players: pitchers Jang Min-gi, Kang I-jun, and Jeong Da-hoon; catchers Kim Sun-woo and Lee Do-hoon; infielders Oh Jung-hwan and Jang Si-hyun; and outfielders Lee Jun-beom, Cheon Jung-min, and Kim Min-su."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original