It is the humiliation of a ‘genius’. About half of my salary was gone. The ‘Everyday Player’ must have keenly felt that injury prevention is vital.
KT completed the annual salary contract after childbirth. It was fierce enough to announce the completion of the annual salary contract on the 29th, when he left the Arizona spring camp in the United States.
The salary of Kang Baek-ho (24), who remained uncontracted until the announcement, was a concern. Baekho Kang earned 290 million won, a 47.3% cut from last year’s annual salary of 500 million won. It’s not a small salary, but it’s quite a big deal considering the weight it takes in the team. In 2018, with the first overall pick in the 2nd round of the rookie draft, he suffered his first reduction in 5 years after wearing a professional uniform.
He was hampered by an injury and never made a comeback until the end of the season. Starting with a toe fracture right before the opening day, he suffered from large and small injuries and only played 62 games. His home runs hit only six, and he accepted his worst record with 29 RBIs and a .245 batting average. He failed to hit a double-digit home run for the fifth consecutive season, and failed to hit .300 for the fourth consecutive season. His RBIs have plummeted to 30% of 2021 levels. There was a lot of focus on his opponents, but he hasn’t regained his pace since his injury. 메이저놀이터
Kang Baek-ho plays both first baseman and designated hitter. He is able to rain in the outfield, but with the meaning to focus on batting, he relieved the burden of defense for young batters in their early 20s. He and Park Byung-ho have to hold the center of the batting line, but he missed more than half of the regular season games. He had a season without saying anything even though he lost about half of his salary.
Although he died last year, Kang Baek-ho’s career batting average is 0.317. It means that he is a player who can do his part if he is healthy. There is no choice but to fight hard, and you can read the expectations of coach Lee Kang-cheol just by being listed on the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team list. It is unfortunate that the salary cut is regrettable, but if you recover, you can get more than you lost.
In fact, KT’s performance compensation is not bad. Eom Sang-baek, who went back and forth between starting and bullpen last year, won 11 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 2.95 (0.846), signed a 150% increase to 200 million won. Considering that his annual salary was 80 million won last year, this is a significant increase.
Kim Min-soo, who played an active role as a bullpen Pilseung-joo, also rose by 117.4%. It rose vertically from 105 million won last year to 250 million won. The increase of 135 million won is the highest increase in the team.
Even in the field team, outfielder Kim Min-hyuk joined the ranks of the first billionaires in his life by stamping for 150 million won, a 66.7% increase from 90 million won last year. Kim Joon-tae (100 million won) and Oh Yoon-seok (120 million won), who took on the dirty work, also became billionaires. This is the part where you can read the team’s motto that if you contribute to the team even if you are not the main character, the value is highly appreciated.
Outfielders Bae Jeong-dae (340 million won) and Jo Yong-ho (320 million won) also signed contracts with an increase of 80 million won for the same reason.