Участник:'Confused' KIA Na Sung-beom-SSG 'Retired' Choo Shin-soo-NC 'King of Strike' Son Ah-seop
One of the secrets of the LG Twins' unified victory in 29 years was the "captain Oh Ji-hwan effect." The KIA Tigers also assigned Na Sung-bum, the "Nasta" player, to the postseason, and the SSG Landers assigned the captain's armband to Choo Shin-soo, the "legend," to regain the honor of winning the "Wire to Wire" title. The NC Dinos are aiming for the fall baseball sensation again by having Son Ah-seop, the "hitting king," serve consecutive terms.
Teams are sweating profusely at training camps in Arizona, the U.S., on Thursday, a month before the opening of the exhibition game. The winning team LG will prepare for the season by March 4 at its camp in Arizona, the U.S., and Oh Ji-hwan, who was named MVP of the Korean Series against KT Wiz last year, will lead the team again this year. During his visit to the Seoul Shimbun in December last year, Oh said, "There are some plays that I have never tried before. I want to show my full potential in the new season. My ultimate goal is to win the championship," adding, "I have never won two consecutive games in the last seven years. I want to build a dynasty and enjoy it for a long time."
Na Sung-bum, Kia's flagship batter, served as the captain after failing to play baseball in the fall as the sixth-ranked team. Na should focus on the chaos in which former coach Kim Jong-kook was dismissed just before the spring camp. "I told the players not to get agitated and to train as they prepared," Na said at Incheon International Airport, departing for Canberra, Australia on April 30. "I hope that coaches will help them work hard only in baseball. If the mood subsides, the team may take a bad path. Everyone should make an effort."
Taking over the captaincy role from Kim Sun-bin, Na joined Kia for a total of 15 billion won (15 million U.S. dollars) for six years as a free agent ahead of the 2022 season. Last year, he started the season belatedly at a match against KT Wiz on June 23 due to calf injury, but he had 81 hits, 18 homers and a 0.365 batting average in 58 games. However, he injured his hamstring again and ended the season with a game against the LG Twins on September 18. For Na, managing his injury and breathing with his new coach remain challenges.
Choo Shin-soo, who declared that his 24-year professional career will come to an end after this year, will serve as the captain of SSG. Choo is a legendary player who became the first Asian player to have 200 home runs and 20 home runs to steal 20 or 20 stolen bases in a single season in the Major League Baseball (MLB). "He has abundant experience and leadership, and he is respected by the team," said new SSG coach Lee Soo-yong.
Last season, Choo suffered from ankle injury and poor performance, leaving his team with 97 hits, 12 homers and a batting average of 0.254 in 112 games, and his team suffered a setback in the semi-playoff. "I will lead the team without any major injuries and rise to the highest level. I don't care about my personal performance," he told a press conference on March 3. SSG's spring campsites are from Florida and Taiwan.
After leaving for Arizona, the U.S., NC Dinos' captain is Son Ah-seop, who ranks first in batting average (0.339) and the most hits (187) in the 2023 season. "Veterans will bear the burden of allowing young players to concentrate on games in this season as well," Son said at the team's New Year's meeting on April 8. "I hope that my goal is to win a championship. I need to win a championship to be a perfect baseball player."
The Samsung Lions and Hanwha Eagles, who failed to take the fall baseball stage, left the captaincy to Koo Ja-wook and Chae Eun-sung, the core of the lineup, respectively. The Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants will be left with Yang Seok-hwan and Jeon Joon-woo, and the KT wiz and Kiwoom Heroes will be led by infielders Park Kyung-soo and Kim Hye-sung.