The irreplaceable breakup between Heo Kyungmin and Kim Jaeho...Doosan's will to change the generation of 'super-strong'

Nov 14, 2024

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I can clearly feel the will to change generations.

It seems that the Doosan Bears have clearly set the future direction. I can read the will just by looking at Heo Kyung-min and Kim Jae-ho.

Doosan officially announced the retirement of Kim Jae-ho, a 21-year-old one-club man and veteran shortstop on the 14th. Born 1985, 39-year-old player. Actually, retirement is not a strange age. However, considering Doosan's team situation, it is a big decision.

Doosan's Kim Jae-ho has played as the main shortstop since 2014. More than a decade has passed since then. However, there was no junior to destroy Kim Jae-ho's stronghold.

In the two years since Lee's inauguration, Doosan has given several players opportunities for a generational change. However, Kim Jae-ho eventually appeared in important postseason games from the middle of the season. He failed to find a junior who beat Kim Jae-ho in defense.

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In fact, when Kim Jae-ho retires, the shortstop position feels unstable right away. Park Joon-young worked hard last year, but it is true that he is less stable in defense than in offense, and there are many injuries. Lee Yoo-chan is also working as an outfield player, and Jeon Min-jae is also 2% short. With no one clearly ahead as a replacement, choosing to part with a player who may not make a hole in defense is interpreted as an expression of his willingness to push ahead with the generational change without worrying about the future.

There was a bigger incident ahead of Kim Jae-ho. Like Kim Jae-ho, Huh Kyung-min, a symbol of Doosan, transferred to KT Wiz as an FA. Heo Kyung-min was able to re-acquire the FA qualification four years later after signing an FA contract worth 8.5 billion won for 4+3 years. Heo Kyung-min, who wanted to increase the contract period and amount, came to the market instead of extending the three-year, 2 billion won option.

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If Doosan had the will to keep Heo Kyung-min, it would not have easily withdrawn from the recruitment competition. However, Doosan was watching Huh Kyung-min sign a four-year contract with KT worth a total of 4 billion won. It is clear that Heo Kyung-min is a good third baseman, but he was wary of 'Overpay' in that he is one of the targets of generational change. Heo Kyung-min will also turn 35 next year.

If a good player performs well for a long time, there is nothing better than that. However, everyone ages, and no matter how great a player is, his performance will inevitably decline as he gets older. Before they retire, teams looking for new players to fill the position can consistently produce results. The immediate two to three years can be a difficult time, but only through the pain can the next 10 years be healthier.

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