The ‘Beast’ who brought five championships to Incheon baseball is headed to Daejeon.
Veteran SSG Landers outfielder Kim Kang-min (41), who was selected by the Hanwha Eagles in the second round of the draft, has decided to continue his active career.
Hanwha said in a press release on the afternoon of the 24th, “Kim Kang-min visited the club’s office today and expressed his intention to extend his playing career.
We plan to include him in the list of pending players to be submitted to the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) on the 25th.”
Each team has until the 25th to submit its list of suspended players to the KBO.
Kim is a “one-club man,” having played for the same organization for 23 years, starting with the Eskay (SK) Wyverns, the predecessor of the ESL.
With the player’s strong desire to stay active, ESG was complacent and did not include him on the 35-man protected list for the second draft, and Hanwha, with a shallow outfield depth, drafted Kim in the fourth round ($100 million in compensation).
The team later said, “We were discussing retirement and coach training with the player.
We didn’t expect to draft a player who is about to retire at the age of 41,” but the water was already spilled.
Faced with the choice of transferring to Hanwha or retiring, Kim decided to extend his career after much deliberation.
Hanwha’s coaching staff includes former teammates Chung Kyung-bae and Park Jae-sang, as well as playing coach Chung Woo-ram.
Kim, who was at the crossroads of a semi-forced retirement, wrote in a letter to ESG fans after deciding to extend his career with another club, “I was very happy playing baseball as a one-club man for 23 years.
I’m sorry that I feel like I’m leaving in debt,” he wrote, adding, “I’ll keep the unconditional love and precious memories you’ve given me and try to regain strength in a new team.” 카지노
Kim, who began his professional career as a second-round pick of the Eskies in 2001, has a career batting average of .274 with 138 home runs and 674 RBIs.
He was nicknamed “The Beast” for his wide defensive range and strong shoulders in center field.
In the 2022 Korean Series, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 5 to lead ESG to its first-ever integrated championship.
In the 2018 playoffs, he was strong in big games, hitting a tying home run in the 10th inning of Game 5.
Hanwha head coach Choi Won-ho said, “Our outfielders, including Lee Jin-young, Choi In-ho, and Kim Tae-yeon, lack experience, which Kim Kang-min can fill.
The younger players will be able to learn from his know-how.”
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