'Heart ceremony continues.' Successfully signed a two-year, 600 million contract in three FA sessions. The results of the Rookie of the Year award-MVP who challenged the FA 4th try are
Nov 25, 2024
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FA Kim Hun-gon (36) will continue to wear the Samsung Lions uniform. Samsung announced on the 25th that it signed a two-year contract with FA Kim Hun-gon for up to 600 million won. They will receive 200 million won in down payment, 100 million won in annual salary, and 100 million won in incentives.
Kim Hun-gon, who graduated from Jeju Tourism High School-Yeongnam University and joined Samsung in the 36th place in the fifth round in 2011, is a one-club man who has played for Samsung all along. He played in 900 games with a batting average of 272 (685 hits in 2516 at-bats) with 45 homers and 302 RBIs.
This was my third FA opportunity. He became the first FA after the 2022 season, but he did not apply for the FA as he had a poor batting average of 1902 (43 hits in 224) that year.
Last year, he played in only six games in the first team. I gave up my FA application again.
This third time, I applied proudly. He played in 117 games this season and recorded a batting average of 320 (85 hits in 281 at-bats) with nine homers and 34 RBIs. With an on-base percentage of 0.358 and a slugging percentage of 0.434, the OPS increased to 0.792.
I made a proper impression in the postseason. In the playoff against the LG Twins, he recorded a batting average of 364 (four hits in 11 at-bats) with two home runs and four RBIs in four games, including two home runs in the second game.
He also continued his performance in the Korean series against the KIA Tigers. He raised the team's mood by hitting solo shots in Game 1 and Game 3. He hit 2.11 (four hits in 19 at-bats) with two home runs and two RBIs in five games. In particular, the heart ceremony after hitting a home run became a big topic.
He finally succeeded in his third FA challenge and signed a two-year contract with Samsung.
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Seo Geon-chang is a star player who made his name in the KBO League by winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2012 and MVP in 2014. However, the performance has fallen sharply in recent years. During the 2021 season, which was the first FA season, he was traded from Kiwoom to LG, but he had a batting average of 253 (130 hits in 513 at-bats) with six home runs and 52 RBIs. He gave up his FA application because it was not easy to transfer to Grade A.
In 2022, the number of games played decreased to 77 games and the performance also fell. He only posted a batting average of 2.24 (49 hits in 219 at-bats). Once again, I gave up my FA application. Last year, he aimed for a rebound by joining Yeom Kyung-yeop, who was with Nexen. But the result was worse. He played in 44 games and had a batting average of .20 (22 hits in 110 times at bat). LG had a happy year by winning the championship for the first time in 29 years, but Seo Geon-chang couldn't. Instead of applying for FA, he asked the club to release him. I found a team that I could play for. In the end, Kia, the hometown team, held hands and started anew.
He played as a backup member, not a main player, but he improved. He hit .310 (63 hits in 203 at-bats) with one home run, 26 RBIs and 40 runs in 94 games. With an on-base percentage of 0.416 and a slugging percentage of 0.404, the OPS was good with 0.820.
This time, he submitted an FA application and became an FA. It was grade B last season, but this time it turned 35 and became grade C.
Overcoming difficulties, reviving and applying for FA was similar to Kim Heon-gon, who signed with Samsung. The reality is that big contracts are not easy, but baseball players can sign FA contracts that they want to try at least once. What will happen to Seo Geon-chang's fourth move.
indyk@sportschosun.com
