The Doosan Bears held a ceremony to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of its foundation on Wednesday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, marking the start of the 2024 season. In the process, the team also confirmed its “captain,” which will become the “mouth and ear” of the 2024 season. It was Yang Seok-hwan, who remained as a “big hit” FA.
Yang Seok-hwan was nominated by the LG Twins as the 28th overall pick in the second and third rounds of the rookie draft in 2014 and took the professional stage. Yang Seok-hwan, who received great attention based on his power to send balls off the fence at any time, accumulated experience one after another with eight home runs in 2015 and six home runs in the 2016 season, and began to hit full potential from the 2017 season.
Yang Seok-hwan stood out by drawing 14 arches in the 2017 season while using Jamsil Stadium, the largest stadium in the KBO League, as his home, and the following year, he played in 140 games and had an unforgettable year with 127 hits, 22 homers, 82 RBIs, 53 runs, and a batting average of 0.263 OPS of 0.758. However, Yang Seok-hwan, who seemed to be blooming in his professional career, served in the military the following year in Sangmu, and his good trend was put on hold. 토토사이트 순위
At the time, LG expected Yang to quench his thirst for home runs even after his return, as he headed to Sangmu after he hit his potential. However, Yang only recorded three homers and a batting average of 0.246 in 40 games since his return to the main league in 2020, and after the end of the season, he will be wearing the uniform of the “Rival” Doosan through a trade. At the time, Doosan held Yang in its arms as it gave up Ham Deok-ju, a key resource in the bullpen. Doosan was not wrong in his eyes.
Yang Seok-hwan has been flying high since his first season as a transfer player. Yang played 133 games in the 2021 season, with 133 hits, 28 homers, 96 RBIs, 66 runs scored, and a batting average of 0.273 OPS of 0.827, and he started to be called a “blessing” by fans. Since then, Yang has drawn 20 arches in 2022, and he also hit 21 home runs and 89 RBIs last season, helping Doosan, which had fallen to ninth place in the 2021 season, return to the postseason stage.
Yang Seok-hwan, who has established himself as an indispensable presence in the “trade lucky” Doosan, became the first FA in his life after the 2023 season, and he will remain with Doosan through a large contract of up to 7.8 billion won for 4+2 years at the end of November last year. Yang Seok-hwan will receive up to 6.5 billion won for four years, and if the mutual (mutual agreement) option is exercised after that, he can hold 1.3 billion won more for two years. And following Huh Kyung-min, he was selected as Doosan’s “captain” in the 2024 season.
Yang Seok-hwan, whose appointment as captain was officially announced at the inaugural ceremony, said to the team, “I think in order for the team to perform well, individual performance should be supported. I hope you take responsibility that your individual performance will become a team performance and prepare well for the upcoming spring camp and 2024 season,” and expressed his determination, saying, “I hope Doosan will be the winner in 2024.”
When was Yang Seok-hwan offered to become a captain? “After signing the FA contract, I called the manager, who told me then. So far, I don’t feel anything (as a captain). I think there will be many things to pay attention to when the spring camp begins. I think it will feel real then,” Yang said with a smile. “In fact, in the case of a captain, it is done by a franchise player. That is why I thought it would be difficult to become a captain at Doosan, but the coach trusted and entrusted me with it.”
” (Yang) Seok-hwan is a very bright guy. He is a player who has something to say to senior players and younger players, including myself. He serves as an example in what he should do as a professional player. Heo Kyung-min was the captain last year, but he changed his position because he was not feeling well,” Lee said. “I hope he can say something to the coach, coach, senior players and younger players.”
“In the case of the first team, five to 60 players are moving, and it is not easy to go with one mind. To become a one-team, we need to be a team that shares everything without hesitation. I want Yang to play that role,” he said. “For our team to win, it is an important role for our fans to cheer for us more. Since we signed an FA contract, we will have responsibility.”
In response, Yang Seok-hwan said, “I’m already saying everything to the coach. There’s nothing I can’t do. I think I can speak more comfortably because I signed an FA contract.” “I think I have a lot to care about as a captain, but that shouldn’t be the reason for my performance. I may not be able to do well this year, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to do well because I’m a captain.”
What do they want to say to their players? “What concerns me is (Huh) Kyung-min was a warm-hearted captain, and I don’t know what his juniors would think, but I am the opposite of him,” Yang Seok-hwan said. “Players should have a clear sense of goal.” Internally, they lacked sense of goal in the past two seasons. When I went to the Korean Series for the seventh consecutive year, I thought, “I won the championship, it’s time to drop out,” and when I ranked fifth due to major changes in the coaching staff, I thought, “I did a good job if I could do this,” but not this year. “I hope my team plays this season with a clear sense of goal so that it does not falter when the rankings go up and down.”
After a short three-week break after the 2023 season, Yang immediately began his own training. And this year, he plans to work out in Australia about 10 days earlier than the national team. “While I was in my bedroom, I always had the dream of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. It is good to be able to challenge myself for four years toward that goal. If I reach 300, the goal may become more difficult, but if that happens, I think I will be the best,” Yang said with a smile, vowing to work hard.