Kim Sang-soo, who has to shake off the sluggishness of the previous two seasons, Kim Sang- soo (kt Wiz), who will be in charge of Suwon’s infield from this season in 2023, announced his current situation through appearances in entertainment programs.

Kim Sang-soo appeared on MBC’s <The King of Mask Singer>, which aired on the afternoon of the 22nd, and showed off his singing skills to his heart’s content. Wearing a “skate” mask, Kim Sang-soo sang “For You” by Lim Jae-beom, but was eliminated in the first round after losing by 57 votes to a contestant with an “ice rink” concept.

When Kim Sang-soo took off his mask and revealed his identity, cheers erupted from the audience. The celebrity judges, who mentioned names such as Lee Dae-hyung, Choi Jun-yong (Lotte Giants), and Roh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles) among baseball players who are good at singing, also welcomed his appearance.

Kim Sang-soo said, “I want to say thank you to the Samsung fans, and I decided to appear on the program to ask kt fans to welcome me (I want to hear the story). I want to wear it,” he said, revealing his goal.

The Fall of a Veteran Infielder Who Experienced the Samsung Dynasty

Kim Sang-soo, who entered the KBO League in 2009 as the first nomination for the Samsung Lions, has accumulated experience by participating in more than 100 games every year since 2010. In particular, in the 2011-2014 season, when the team achieved 4 consecutive championships, he played a big role as the main shortstop and contributed greatly to the team’s upward trend. His career KBO League performance is 1552 games, 5088 at-bats, 1379 hits, 0.271 batting average, 55 home runs, 549 RBIs, and 251 stolen bases.

There was an evaluation that his long hitting power was a little disappointing, but the sense of stability in defense and base running became the driving force of Kim Sang-soo. Recognized for his performance, he competed in four international tournaments, including the 2013 WBC (World Baseball Classic). In addition, rumors spread among Samsung fans as a player who is good at fan service, and he even earned the nickname ‘serial sign’.

After the 2018 season, he signed the first free agent contract in his life with Samsung, his original club, for a total of 1.8 billion won over 3 years. In the 2020 season, which was the second season after his contract, he recorded a slugging percentage (0.401) of 0.4 or higher for the first time in 5 years since 2015 (0.416), and met the team’s expectations with a batting average of 30% or higher (0.304) for the first time since his debut. .

Kim Sang-soo, who did that, fell into extreme sluggishness in the 2021 season. He was down year-over-year in all offensive metrics. This is the reason why Kim Sang-soo couldn’t smile even though the team stepped on the fall baseball stage after 6 years. He had the fifth-lowest batting average (0.235) among 54 batters who made regulation at bats.

Last year, he had 59 hits in 235 at-bats in 72 games, a batting average of 0.251, 2 homers, 29 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.628. In addition, as young players such as Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Ji-chan were given opportunities to participate, the generational change naturally accelerated. Kim Sang-soo’s position had to gradually narrow. 메이저놀이터

Can Kim Sang-soo’s dream come true?

On the other hand, kt needed a player who could immediately hold the center in the infield. This is because starting shortstop Shim Woo-jun and highly useful infielder Kwon Dong-jin went to Sangmu (Army Sports Corps). It was not easy to fill these gaps with existing resources.

kt reached out to Kim Sang-soo, who could serve as both second baseman and shortstop, and sighed. The terms of his contract were 4 years and a total of 2.9 billion won. The team evaluated Kim Sang-soo as an infielder who is equipped with offense, defense, and running, and expects him to play a central role in the center line.

Unable to predict his future, Kim Sang-soo changed his uniform for the first time since his professional debut. Although there is a high possibility of getting more opportunities to participate compared to last year due to team circumstances, it is a season that requires more exertion than ever as it left disappointing results in the previous two seasons.

It is predicted that kt will occupy the top ranks in terms of power this season as well. However, we cannot be satisfied with advancing to the postseason for four consecutive years. The ultimate goal is to get rid of last year’s regrets and rise to the top in two years. Kim Sang-soo, who has not been able to win a championship for 8 seasons after 2014, wants to quench his thirst. It remains only to prove that the club’s choice was correct.