“I’m in contact with Son every day” 16-year one-club man’s thirst for fall baseball…FA is “on track”
Until this year, he was a one-club man for 16 years. He has experienced the joys and sorrows, the highs and lows of the Lotte Giants.
That’s why he’s so eager to return. From his rookie season in 2008 to 2012, he tasted fall baseball for five consecutive years. In 2010, he became a mainstay, contributing heavily.
However, over the next 11 years, the team only made it to the tournament once, in 2017. The playoffs are their best achievement during this period. It may be 23 years into the 21st century, but Lotte’s last Korean Series appearance was in the 20th century (1999).
Jeon Jun-woo attended the inauguration of new manager Kim Tae-hyung on Thursday. Although he will become a free agent after the Korean Series, he decided it would be polite to attend the inauguration ceremony as the team’s most senior member. He was joined by fellow free agent Ahn Chi-hong.
“I’m watching the postseason,” Jeon said, and he couldn’t hide his envy. “I’m in touch with (NC) Son almost every day. He’s nervous because it’s his first postseason in a long time, but he’s confident because of his good performance this year. (KT has) Hwang Jae-gyun. If NC and KT meet, I will go directly.”
Son As-seop, in particular, was a franchise star for a long time, guarding both sides of the Lotte outfield alongside Jeon Jun-woo. However, he moved to NC after the 2021 season. This year, 먹튀검증토토사이트 he’s entering his second prime and has been dominant in the semi-playoffs.
Lotte, on the other hand, has failed in fall baseball for six consecutive years. Until May, they had a +10 win-loss margin and were in a three-way tie with the LG Twins and SSG Landers. However, from June onward, the team plummeted, breaking the 5-win mark at the end of the first half and finishing in seventh place.
Lotte, which dreamed of transforming itself with the appointment of former manager Sung Min-kyu four years ago, parted ways with him this time and appointed Kim Tae-hyung to take the helm.
“The goal is to win the championship. The players should prepare themselves,” he said, showing off his trademark straightforwardness. Speaking about prospective free agents Jeon Jun-woo and Ahn Chi-hong, he said, “I asked the club to sign them. They are essential players.”
Jun-woo said, “It’s an honor to be with a master. He has charisma.” “I think you’ll find that Busan is a very baseball-crazy city,” he said of their pre-inauguration conversation, adding that they talked about being careful wherever you go in Busan.
“If you give me a score this season, it’s 50. In the beginning, it was zero. I didn’t do my job when the team was struggling. I felt bad for the team, and I felt bad as a senior. I picked it up a little bit in the second half.”
His outlook as a free agent is sobering. Four years ago, when he signed a four-year contract worth up to 3.4 billion won, he was synonymous with the term “hyeja free agent. Now, as he approaches his second free agency, he is calm.
This season, he batted 3-for-1 with 17 home runs, 77 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.852. Aside from the pride of being a “one-club man” and his age of 37, Tatimeser is also recognized for his skills.
When asked if he would like to stay with Lotte, he said, “It could affect my contract.” When asked about free agency, he said, “I will consider various conditions.”
“I envy players who play in the postseason, and my goal for next year is to win. I think if I wait for the right time, good things will happen.”