He mentioned the batting form that often changes due to the problem of Seo Geon-chang (34), who achieved the first and only 200-hit milestone in the KBO league in the past. When he had 200 hits, he thought he could rebound if he returned to his batting form.
Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop was Seo Geon-chang’s heyday when he was the head coach of Nexen (2013-2016). Seo Geon-chang won the MVP of the regular season with 201 hits with a batting average of 370 in 2014. There were home run king Park Byung-ho with a batting average of .333 – 52 home runs – 124 RBIs, shortstop Kang Jung-ho with a batting average of .356 – 40 home runs – 117 RBIs, and 20-win pitcher Van Hekken, but the MVP was Seo Geon-chang.
Seo Kun-chang, who returned to LG ahead of Yeom, was struggling. At the end of July of the 2021 season, LG acquired Seo in a trade with Kiwoom to reinforce the second baseman. LG made a one-on-one trade to send starting pitcher Jung Chan-heon and bring in Seo Geon-chang.
However, since moving to LG in the 2021 season, Seo Geon-chang has played in 68 games and recorded a batting average of 247 (58 hits in 235 at-bats) and failed to show a trade effect. After the season, he qualified as an FA, but he did not apply and chose to retake the job. Seo Kun-chang, who is desperate, failed to produce any significant performance in the 2022 season due to sluggishness and injury. He played in only 77 games and recorded a batting average of 2204 (49 hits in 219 at-bats).
Seo Kun-chang, who recorded below-expectations for two years after moving to LG, met manager Yeom and sought to make a comeback once again. I chose FA Samsoo. Coach Yeom gave Seo a task with a video of Seo Geon-chang in the past when he was good, and Seo Geon-chang returned to his old batting form in the spring camp.
In his plan for the season, Yeom appointed Seo Geon-chang as a second baseman table setter. Seo Geon-chang showed a possibility of making a comeback by ranking first in batting with a batting average of 362 in the exhibition game. However, it was different from what I expected when I entered the season.
Seo Kun-chang, who played as a top hitter in the opening game, recorded two hits (batting .125) in 16 at-bats in the first three games, and went down in the order of lower hits from four games. By mid-May, he had a batting average of 277 with 12 RBIs and 14 runs in 31 games (18 hits in 87 at-bats). The second base defense was the most in the league with nine errors. In the end, he was excluded from the first-team entry on May 19.
Coach Yeom sent Seo Geon-chang down to the second division, considering that Seo Geon-chang would return to the first division on his own. He restored his batting balance and made him return when he regained his confidence. In the second division, however, Seo Geon-chang was rested for about a month due to a back injury in mid-June. At one point in August, the batting average rose to the .300 level, but the timing was late.
After Seo Geon-chang’s second team, Yutil Tiri Kim Min-sung played well in the second base position from mid-May. Kim Min-sung, who also played shortstop when shortstop Oh Ji-hwan suffered a side injury in April, mainly played second base from May to June, showing a hot feeling of hitting with a batting average of 388 (36 hits in 117 at-bats) and four home runs and 21 RBIs in 44 games. He hit 288 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 70 games in the first half.
When Kim Min-sung left due to a hamstring injury in early July, Shin Min-jae, a stolen base specialist, became the new second baseman owner by showing a stable appearance in attack and defense. In July alone, he had a batting average of 3702 (16 hits in 43 at-bats) with seven RBIs and six steals in 14 games.
In the end, Seo Kun-chang missed the timing of his return to the first team due to injuries and substitutes, and he belatedly joined the first team during the expanded entry in September. Shin Min-jae was fully seated in the second base position. Seo Kun-chang, who mainly played as a pinch hitter after his return, has recorded a batting average of 177 (4 hits in 23 at-bats) in 23 games since September. His batting average this season is .20 (22 hits in 110 at-bats) OPS.Finished with 542. He participated in training camp ahead of the Korean Series, but was not included in the Korean Series entry because he was pushed by Kim Min-sung, Jung Joo-hyun and Son Ho-young as an infield backup.
LG announced 12 players who were excluded from the list ahead of the deadline for submitting suspended players on the 25th. Seo Geon-chang was included. While playing the FA twice, he met his old teacher again and tried to make a comeback, but it failed. Seo Kun-chang, who joined LG in 2008 as a nurturing player, was released after two years, and later took a chance and succeeded at Nexen. He returned to LG in a trade, but it ended with a sad ending called release again
Seo Geon-chang, who has narrowed his position in LG, which has a strong depth, is said to have wanted to release him to the club for a new challenge. Seo’s annual salary this season was 200 million won. Which team will have a new opportunity.