Участник:No "Isn't He Hates Me?"
SSG Landers catcher Kim Min-sik is on his way to the spring camp with new determination and determination. Kim Min-sik signed a two-year FA contract with SSG for a total of 500 million won (400 million won per year, 100 million won in incentives) on the 16th.
The first valuable FA opportunity I got since my professional debut. I applied for an FA after a lot of hard work and came to the market, but I wanted to play for SSG from the beginning. There was certainly a consensus that SSG also needs Kim Min-sik at a time when promising catchers are still growing.
However, there were many twists and turns. At a time when Kim Min-sik's FA negotiations did not make progress, he "surprisingly" recruited Lee Ji-young, an outside FA. Lee Ji-young, whose career path was blocked due to the B-grade FA system, sought to sign and trade with his original team Kiwoom Heroes, and SSG offered 250 million won in cash and a third-round pick to recruit Lee.
The recruitment of Lee Ji-young was a surprise announcement, but it could be a shock for Kim Min-sik. At a time when Lee Jae-won's transfer and Lee Heung-ryeon's retirement did not deserve a replacement, the path SSG drilled through was a factor that Kim Min-sik could not help but feel a sense of crisis.
However, Kim Min-sik, who had difficulty signing a contract with the FA and had not been able to concentrate on exercising due to concerns, has renewed his commitment and started preparing for the new season. He boarded a plane bound for Florida with SSG headquarters on Tuesday. Lee Ji-young, a transfer player, also departed Korea on the same day.
"We have more catchers in our team. Anyway, professionals are all in competition. We have three new catchers joining us, and we will compete in good faith to make sure that we can develop and influence each other," Kim Min-sik said.
Apart from the contract, Lee Ji-young and Kim Min-sik have been close since their school days. Lee Ji-young also relies on Kim Min-sik. "I was near school when I was young, and I often played against Kyungsung University. When I was in college, I was also selected. That's why I knew her for a long time," Kim said. "Ji-young says, 'You're the only one I know,' and asks me to go together. It's burdensome," she said with a smile.
Kim Min-sik's wife saw him off at the airport that day. Kim Min-sik laughed, saying, "I told Ji-young that I would say hello to my wife for a while, and she was worried, saying, 'Isn't the wife hate me?'"
Lee Ji-young, a transfer player, also has some concerns to adjust to the new players. "I have nothing to teach you because you are older than me and you are a better player than me," Kim Min-sik said, adding that he would actively help. "I only try to help people in an environment where they can work out together."
Not only Lee Ji-young but also Kim Min-sik, who has to compete again with Cho Hyung-woo, Park Dae-on, and Shin Bum-soo as the starting catcher. Of course, Kim Min-sik and Cho Hyung-woo are expected to be the most advanced in the competition, but no one knows the result. This is why you must catch it when the opportunity comes.
Kim Min-sik said, "It's not that I didn't do well if I ranked third in the team's performance last year, but it was true that I looked a little depressed after winning the championship two years ago. Still, I want to finish in a better place this year," adding, "It's natural for professional baseball players to speak with their skills. I think I don't have a place for myself, and I'll always prepare well and do my best to survive the competition." He expressed his mindset ahead of the new season.