Although the Arizona spring camp departure for the United States is approaching one day ahead, Kang Baek-ho (24, KT Wiz)’s annual salary contract is still undecided. Can a genius hitter board a plane to the U.S. on the 29th?
KT Wiz will head to Tucson, Arizona, USA where the spring camp will be held through Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 29th. A total of 52 people, including head coach Lee Kang-cheol, 12 coaching staff and 40 players (20 pitchers, 3 catchers, 10 infielders, 7 outfielders) will participate.
However, there is a possibility that one key infielder may not be able to leave the camp on time with the day before departure. Kang Baek-ho, who is experiencing difficulties in the 2023 season salary contract, is the main character.
Kang Baek-ho, the leading KT hitter, received an annual salary of 550 million won last year, his fifth year as a pro. Starting with 120 million won in the second year, 210 million won in the third year, and 310 million won in the fourth year, he raised his annual salary to 500 million won within 5 years of his debut.
Kang Baek-ho built his career without hesitation, just like Kang Baek-ho from the basketball cartoon ‘Slam Dunk’. After winning the rookie of the year with 29 homers in his first year, he swung a batting average of 3 3 6 ri in 2019, 3 3 3 2020, 7 3 4 in 2021, and experienced a combined championship in 2021, debuting 4 years In the end, he even grabbed the championship ring. He was literally a baseball life without roughness.
Kang Baek-ho experienced setbacks for the first time since his debut last year. He was injured before the season and all plans were twisted. He fractured his toe just before his opening day and didn’t play his first game until June 4, and after nearly a month of batting average, he injured his hamstring on the first day of July and underwent his second long-term rehabilitation. After 109 days off last year, he finished his fifth season with a mediocre record of 62 games batting average of 2.5, 6 homers and 29 RBIs. 안전놀이터
The first setback in his debut naturally led to his first salary cut. However, players and clubs have different views on the amount of cuts, and the news of the conclusion of the negotiations has not been heard until the day before departure from the camp. If the contract cannot be agreed upon before 2:30 pm, the time of take-off for the flight to the United States, there may be an unprecedented situation in which the camp is delayed.
First of all, the KT club plans to finish the negotiations before departure as much as possible. Kang Baek-ho has grown into an indispensable player for KT, and this year, the importance of spring camp has increased more than ever as he even boarded the WBC (World Baseball Classic) national team.
A KT official said, “We are aiming to go to camp after signing with Kang Baek-ho. We will finalize the negotiations as much as possible before leaving the country.”
It remains to be seen whether Kang Baek-ho will appear at Incheon International Airport on the 29th.