Ahead of the 2024 season of the KBO League, Kia’s stove league was relatively quiet. The team focused on maintaining its current capability including Kim Tae-gun, Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Sun-bin. On the other hand, analysts say that the team has not clearly strengthened its capability. However, there is a new name that stands out. Veteran infielder Seo Geon-chang is the hero.밤알바
He was once the star player of an era when he had an unexpected 200 hits in the 2014 season and even became the MVP of the league. However, he could not avoid deterioration of his skills amid the passage of time. He left the affectionate Kiwoom in 2021 and joined the LG uniform through a trade, but failed to become an inflection point, and eventually suffered the pain of being released after the previous season. Kia had him like that. Seo Geon-chang, a native of Gwangju from Chungjang Middle School and Gwangju Jeil High School, dreams of making a comeback in his hometown.
He sweated a lot as he was included in the spring camp roster. Notably, he left a strong impression at a practice match in Okinawa, Japan. He displayed robust batting performance of 0.556 (five hits in nine at-bats) in three games. He displayed good performance, as he could not afford to select Kim Sun-bin, the main second baseman, as a backup agent.
“Personally, I have achieved a lot of achievements. It was a meaningful camp where I had a lot of fun,” he said with a light smile. Apart from his achievements, he focused on adaptation. “The biggest thing I thought was to quickly immerse myself in the team and make it easier for the coaching staff and colleagues to treat me comfortably,” he said. “I am satisfied with the fact that it turned out well.”
A cheerful physical condition is another factor to welcome. “In the past, I was feeling a little bit sick as time went by during the camp. I felt that I was not feeling well, but this camp didn’t have that,” he said, expressing his gladness.
He concentrates on trying not to get excited. “Actually, camp is a process of checking what we prepared in the winter, so I don’t think it’s meaningful. However, if we get good results, it means we are going in a good direction,” he said. “He is quick-tempered, but he is also in a position where he needs to show it quickly. I try not to care about that.”
“(Camp) is just a process of connection. We have to keep moving forward. We have to focus on the process rather than the result,” he said. “The demonstration game is just an exhibition game. I think we have to keep working on checking and checking again and again.”
He has only one goal. “I came to KIA because I really wanted to win the championship. It is more important to play as many games as possible and to help the team in this position as possible, rather than trying to do something individually. I am ready to do anything regardless of my position,” he said.