Can Kang Baek-ho (KT Wiz), who failed to meet the evaluation of being the ‘100 billion won free agent biggest catch’ due to injuries and poor performance in the first half, restore his honor in the second half?
Professional baseball player Kang Baek-ho of KT received intense attention with a value of 100 billion won as he entered the preliminary free agent season before the season even began. Since he is a free agent and not posting, there were even discussions about the possibility of entering Major League Baseball (MLB) rather than staying in Korea. From the beginning of his entry,
It is no wonder that Kang Baek-ho finally regained his genius batting form last year after a long wander. He played in all 144 games for the first time since his debut, achieving a batting average of .289 with 159 hits, 26 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 92 runs scored, contributing to his team's miraculous playoff advancement. He hit 25 home runs for the first time in six years since his debut season (29 home runs) and surpassed 95 RBIs for the first time in three years since the 2021 season (102 RBIs).
According to the player contract announced by KT in January for the 2025 season, Kang Baek-ho signed a contract with an annual salary of 700 million won, an increase of 141.4% (410 million won) from the previous amount of 290 million won. This was the highest increase rate and amount in the club's history.
However, the first half of the preliminary free agent season did not go as Kang Baek-ho had hoped. After the season opened, his monthly batting average in March was only .194, starting off poorly, and although he showed improvement with a batting average of .296 in April, he fell back to .254 in May.
On May 20, Kang Baek-ho showed signs of awakening his bat by hitting a multi-hit in the match against the KIA Tigers, achieving a batting average of .478 in 7 games with 1 home run and 6 RBIs. However, unfortunately, his momentum was cut short by an injury. On May 27, during the game against the Doosan Bears in Suwon, he ruptured his ankle ligaments when stepping on the base. This is the reason why Kang Baek-ho's first-half record ended with a batting average of .255, 7 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 15 runs scored over 43 games, with an OPS of .763.
Kang Baek-ho received an 8-week prognosis for rehabilitation and recovery following his injury. As such, he is expected to return to the first team by the end of this month. After the season resumes on the 17th, the team will have to play for at least two weeks without Kang Baek-ho.
After Kang Baek-ho's injury, KT managed to do well with a record of 18 wins and 17 losses over 35 games, finishing the first half in 5th place (45 wins, 3 ties, and 41 losses). The catcher position is supported strongly by Jo Dae-hyun and Kang Hyun-woo, backing up the main catcher Jang Sung-woo, while the lineup features ‘emerging power hitter’ Ahn Hyun-min, showcasing tremendous power and overshadowing Kang Baek-ho's name. As the saying goes in professional sports, you should never leave your position, and the season is unfolding unfavorably for Kang Baek-ho, who dreams of a big free agent contract.
However, Kang Baek-ho has a career batting average of .350 over 8 seasons in the KBO League. He has a unique role that only he can fulfill, and when KT performs well, the presence of the genius batter Kang Baek-ho always poses a threat to opposing pitchers.
Kang Baek-ho is expected to start contributing to the Mighty Wizards lineup around August. It will be interesting to see if we can witness the genius batter's powerful swing again during this fiercely competitive ranking battle. As a preliminary free agent, Kang Baek-ho desperately needs to bounce back in the second half.
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