Few players in South Korean baseball have had as drastic a fall from grace in recent years as Seo Geon-chang.
Seo was voted the regular season MVP in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 2014, after leading the league with a record 201 hits for the Nexen (currently Kiwoom) Heroes. No other player has topped 200 hits in KBO history.
Injuries began piling up in ensuing years, and Seo has been on a steep decline since being traded to the LG Twins in 2021.
In 2023, Seo only played 44 games while hitting a career-worst .200.
When most thought his career was done at age 34, Seo’s hometown team, the Kia Tigers, extended him a lifeline in January. The Gwangju-based club signed him to a one-year deal worth up to 120 million won (US$89,960), including incentives.
Born and raised in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Seo said he was pleased with how his first spring training went with the new team.
“My primary goal for this camp was to settle in as quickly as possible,” Seo told reporters at Incheon Internatio
nal Airport, west of Seoul, on Wednesday, after arriving back from camp in Japan. “My teammates and coaches went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. More than anything, I wanted to become a part of the team fast, and I am happy with how things played out in that aspect.”
On the field, the second baseman said he found his groove right away and started spraying hits in all directions, just like old times.
“In earlier camps, I was always dealing with some sort of pain or injuries. But this year, I was completely pain free,” Seo added. “For the first time in quite a while, I felt like my body was building up really nicely for the new season. I haven’t played enough games to know where I am technically. But physically, this is the best I’ve felt in a few years.”
Seo said having a handful of players around his age — “It’s not often you have that many guys in this age group on the same team,” Seo said — helped with his adjustment. And he will also be ready to step into a leadership role when the situa
tion calls for it.
“As one of the older guys, I have to think about speaking up when I have to,” Seo said. “But I think the clubhouse is already set, thanks to the veterans who’ve been around here a long time. I want to fit in quietly at first.”
Seo, who made his KBO debut in 2008, has yet to win a Korean Series title, and he hopes it will change this year with the Tigers, considered one of the title contenders in 2024.
“I joined this team because I really wanted to win a championship, and I know pundits think we’re going to be good this year,” Seo said. “Personally, I want to help the team the best I can, and play in as many games as I can. I don’t really care where I play. I will be ready to compete wherever the team wants me.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency