“Since when did you have a hard time because you couldn’t go to the first team… It was too cheeky.”
Hanwha first baseman Seong-gon Lee (31) took the opportunity to start last year in the first team. After coming to Hanwha from Samsung through a trade on June 25, 2021, he contributed to the batting average with a batting average of 2.67 ri (46 hits in 172 at-bats), 1 home run, 24 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .758 in 60 games. At this time last year, expectations were raised by competing as a candidate for the first baseman in the first group Geoje spring camp.
I entered the opening entry, but after a month of sluggish batting, I went down to the second team. It took 130 days from the cancellation of the first team entry on May 7th to returning on September 13th. While Lee Seong-gon went to the second team, the same left-handed first baseman Kim In-hwan took over as a candidate for Rookie of the Year. There was no promise of returning to the first team for Lee Seong-gon, whose position had narrowed in an instant.
Although he was shaken psychologically, he devoted himself to training even more. Even in the 2nd Army, after the team training was over, he did not miss a single day of individual extra training every day. Choi Won-ho, the Hanwha Futures coach, constantly gave opportunities, and Lee Seong-gon played an active role in the Futures League with a batting average of 3.2 (64 hits in 200 at-bats), 2 homers, 25 RBIs, and an OPS of .851 in 62 games.
Manager Choi Won-ho said, “After coming down from the first team, I tried for a month to hit long shots, but it didn’t work out. It was not easy to completely change his disposition. After his overall batting balance collapsed, he started hitting his own style. From then on, I hit well, and it was shown in numbers,” he said. He also praised him, saying, “He worked hard with a good sense of base play, and became an example to his juniors.” I will also go to the Futures Spring Camp, which starts in Kochi, Japan from the 8th. 메이저사이트
At this time last year, it was a competition for the 1st team, but now it is the 2nd team. Kim In-hwan is holding the first base position, and outfielder Chae Eun-seong, who can double first base, joined as a free agent. It is a more difficult situation than last year, but Lee Seong-gon does not give up.
He said, “This is my 10th year, and baseball has never been easy. It was always difficult because he couldn’t play baseball,” he said. This year, he is trying to improve his on-base percentage and derive other things. I thought about and organized the parts I missed last year in the winter,” he said.
During the inactive period, with the introduction of team senior Choi Jae-hoon, he strengthened his body through intense exercise at the physical training center in Daejeon. Lee Seong-gon said, “I exercised like hell for about a month and a half. It was hard, but the more I did it, the more addictive it became. I could feel my body getting better. I am grateful to the trainers who helped me and Jaehoon hyung who recommended me.”
Lee Seong-gon, who changed his uniform number to 44 for the new season at the recommendation of his grandmother, said, “It is true that last year was very difficult. So, I guess he wasn’t having fun. He looked back at himself in the winter. Since when did you have such a hard time because you couldn’t go to the first team… I thought it was too cheeky,” he said. “This year, I will play baseball without thinking about the position. Now, there are more juniors than seniors. As a player who sets an example for juniors, I will work hard from a standing position without missing my workouts,” he emphasized.