*This content was translated by AI.View Original
Son Ah-seop (38), who had been leading in career hits, experienced his worst period since his debut in 2026. Son, who had shown the traits of a hitting machine, aims for a turnaround with his former team, the NC Dinos.
The NC Dinos announced on the 28th that they signed Son Ah-seop to a contract worth an annual salary of 50 million won at Changwon NC Park on the afternoon of the 27th.
This season is expected to be a crucial year for Son Ah-seop, determining whether he will continue his playing career. For Son, who had such a poor season that retirement was mentioned, this could perhaps be his last chance.
Son Ah-seop joined his hometown team, the Lotte Giants, in the 4th round of the 2nd draft in 2007. After rising to a starter in 2010, he consistently recorded a .300 batting average as if it were routine. Son topped the hits leader list in 2017, following his achievements in 2012 and 2013. After the 2017 season, Kang Min-ho left for Samsung, leaving Son as the team's only major franchise star. He signed a free agent (FA) contract worth a total of 9.8 billion won over four years.
Son maintained exceptional skills for the next four seasons as well. However, he failed to fulfill his dream of being a one-club man. He donned the NC uniform in a deal worth up to 6.4 billion won over four years.
Son, who posted a career-low .277 batting average in his first year of the contract, went to the United States the following year and fully revived after going through Kang Jung-ho's academy. Although called a "hitting machine," Son had never won the batting title. In 2023, he achieved a double crown by winning both the hits championship and the batting title. He also received his first Golden Glove (designated hitter) in six years.
After slowing down again the following year, Son Ah-seop donned the uniform of the Hanwha Eagles, who were aiming for the championship, during the 2025 season. Hanwha acquired Son as the final piece of their championship puzzle by offering one 3rd-round draft pick and 300 million won in cash.
Son fulfilled his role with a .333 batting average (7 hits in 21 at-bats) in the Korea Series, but Hanwha ultimately settled for second place, and he faced a cold reception in the FA market for the third time.
Hanwha had no room in their competitive balance system (salary cap), having invested 30.7 billion won over 11 years in a non-FA multi-year contract with Noh Si-hwan and 10 billion won over four years in an FA contract with Kang Baek-ho. They also failed to secure Kim Beom-soo, a key relief pitcher (KIA). Negotiations for a contract with Son Ah-seop were also stagnant.
Although he reached a one-year contract worth 100 million won in February, Son Ah-seop could not prepare adequately for the season. He joined the minor league camp late, but Yonatan Peraza and Moon Hyun-bin had already firmly established themselves in the corner outfield positions, and Kang Baek-ho had secured the designated hitter spot.
Ultimately, after appearing only once as a pinch hitter in the first division, Son Ah-seop moved to the Futures League (KBO minor league) and was traded to the Doosan Bears in April. Doosan, which needed to fill the designated hitter position due to Kim Jae-hwan's (SSG) transfer, acquired the veteran outfielder by sending pitcher Lee Gyo-hoon and 150 million won in cash.
However, Son did not receive sufficient opportunities with Doosan either. Was it because he could not prepare for the season comfortably due to contract issues? Struggling to regain his hitting form, Son, who had been leading in career hits, added only 37 hits to finish the season with 2,655 hits. In the meantime, Choi Hyeong-woo (Samsung, 2,734 hits), who added 148 hits, and Kim Hyun-soo (KT, 2,691 hits) surpassed him, dropping Son to third place.
After the contract, NC General Manager Im Sun-nam stated, "Son Ah-seop is a veteran with rich experience, and we expect him to add diversity as a left-handed hitter to a lineup composed mainly of right-handed batters," adding, "We hope he will play a positive role for the team based on his experience and know-how as a veteran."
NC knows better than anyone how to utilize Son Ah-seop, and he is scheduled to join the team in January, one month earlier than last year.
Based on thorough self-management, his seniors Choi Hyeong-woo and Kim Hyun-soo continue to demonstrate outstanding skills. It can be said that Son Ah-seop is still at a stage where he can sufficiently create an opportunity for a turnaround. Above all, as General Manager Im stated, NC's lineup consists entirely of right-handed batters, so Son Ah-seop is in a position to receive considerable opportunities for strategic reasons.
Moreover, no player appears to have firmly secured the designated hitter position. If Son Ah-seop can regain his skills, it seems he will be guaranteed opportunities.
Through the NC organization, Son Ah-seop expressed his resolve, saying, "I am happy to be able to play for NC again. I will do my best with the players to show a good performance in next season."
Can Son Ah-seop reclaim the career hits leader position and even achieve the grand goal of 3,000 hits? How he spends this spring camp has become very important.
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
