Choi Jeong-eun, head to Japan and head to the U.S.? First-team camp Lee Won-hwa, silent SSG
Choi Jeong-eun, head to Japan and head to the U.S.? First-team camp Lee Won-hwa, silent SSG
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As the professional baseball SSG Landers club is planning to dualize its first-team spring camp, there are many backstabbing comments about it.스포츠토토
The SSG will have its first-team squad leave for Vero Beach, Florida in the U.S. at the end of this month. However, six veteran fielders (Choi Jeong, Kim Sung-hyun, Lee Ji-young, Kim Min-sik, Oh Tae-gon, and Han Yu Island) will be excluded from the camp and will train separately at the Kagoshima Futures (second-tier) camp.
It is quite common for a top-tier player to be excluded from the list of top-tier campers. However, it is not common for the team to be excluded as a group like this one. Furthermore, the six players are the main players who played 103 matches on average last season. Analysts say that the team's flagship player Choi Jeong has been named as such, reducing the weight of the top-tier camp. Even considering the characteristics of a team sport, there are many voices of concern over the dualization of the camp
◇ The background of dualization is
"We gave the players a choice," SSG General Manager Kim Jae-hyun said of the decision. The Vero Beach camp site has been optimized for training in diverse environments including weather. However, since there are no direct flights bound for Florida, SSG has to pass through Atlanta Airport in the U.S. Additionally, it takes 20 hours just to travel. On top of that, there is a 14-hour time difference with Korea. There have been growing complaints within the team, saying, "It is not easy to adjust conditions." Prior to Choi's departure in January 2023, he expressed his hope that this would be the last time.
Lee gave his team autonomy. They were able to choose where to train according to the criteria of veteran players set by the team. Coincidentally, all six players who chose Japan are fielders. "With (native ace) Kim Kwang-hyun becoming the captain, we have to go (to the first team camp site). As I said, I decided to come to Florida and the pitching part was divided into two," said Kim Jae-hyun, the team's general manager
◇ Both first team catchers go to Japan
Lee Ji-young and Kim Min-sik, who will head to the second-tier camp site, are the first and second choice for SSG's catchers last season. "It is hard to understand why catcher who has to match with pitchers is not included in the first-tier camp," a baseball official said. "Honestly, it is a matter of concern," Kim Jae-hyun said. "We have time to work together as we will be joining the team again from Okinawa, Japan (where the second camp is located). We need to make sure our team goes in a good direction as much as possible."
SSG plans to expand the use of its three-option catcher Cho Hyung-woo at this year's Florida camp. Cho, who was selected as the eighth overall pick in the second round of the 2021 rookie draft, is expected to play along with Lee Yul-ye (the eighth overall pick in the first round of the rookie draft in 2025) as a promising future player. "Most of the players who finished the camp tightly will go to Florida. We are trying to level up our catchers," a source from the team said.
◇ The fate of the Florida camp is
SSG has been preparing for the season in Florida for more than 10 years, including its predecessor as the SK Wyverns. It is a good place for training, but the cost of staying in the team soared as the won-dollar exchange rate soared. There is even a possibility that the team will change its first campsite.
The contract for the Vero Beach training facility runs until 2026. "If we judge that we are doing more harm than good, we need to find a better environment even if we pay a penalty. That's my role," Kim said.