I wonder if there is a place for me in the first team now.
One of the LG Twins’ sore fingers, veteran Seo Gun-chang, is still in the second team. He started out as the starting second baseman, but due to his continued offensive slump and defensive woes, he was sent down to the second team on May 19 and hasn’t been called up since.
After being sidelined for nearly a month with back pain while improving his form in the Futures League, Seo returned at the end of the first half and has been playing consistently in the second half. He’s been batting first to get a lot of at-bats, and in the last four games, he’s 3-for-15 with a double. He hasn’t yet put up the kind of numbers that get people excited.스포츠토토
And while Seo is in the second team, the first team has a new owner at second base. Shin Min-jae and Kim Min-sung split time at the plate, but when Kim went down with an injury, Shin Min-jae became the main man.
And Shin Min-jae has been getting better and better at hitting and playing better and better defense. On the season, he’s batting 3-for-6 with 40 RBIs in 119 at-bats. Add to that leading the team in stolen bases with 24 and serving as the No. 9 hitter-tablesetter.
Add to that his nearly every-game hitting streak, and he’s earned the respect of the coaching staff and fans alike.
When NC traded pitcher Chae Ji-sun for Choi Seung-min to bolster the batting order during the All-Star break, it meant that Shin became the undisputed starter at second base.
At this point, Seo is becoming a forgotten man. This is the third year in a row that he hasn’t filed for free agency, and at the age of 34, he can’t keep putting it off. He’s been working hard this season, but it hasn’t paid off as much as he thought it would, and now he has a barrier to overcome.
Even if he makes it to the first team, he’ll have to play as a pinch hitter, a designated hitter, or a defensive player. Of course, if you perform well in your position and help your team win, you can earn your keep. Still, the difference between a starter and a substitute is clear.
It’s no longer about free agency. The image of Seo Geon-chang as the main second baseman is about to disappear. He was the first and only player in the KBO to hit 201 hits, a record he set nine years ago.
LG tried to win this season. They made a big decision to acquire Choi Won-tae from Kiwoom in exchange for three prospects. The more you play, the more important the game becomes. It’s no longer about individual performance or development, but about team victories. Seo needs to show improvement in the second team and prove that he can play in the first team. Can Seo turn things around?