"One year left for rebuilding." Kiwoom, who will go all-in in 2026, why do they keep bringing veterans
"One year left for rebuilding." Kiwoom, who will go all-in in 2026, why do they keep bringing veterans
Blog Article
The professional baseball Kiwoom Heroes are rebuilding, but they have recruited a large number of veterans in preparation for next season.
Kiwoom announced on the 17th, "We recruited Oh Sun-jin, an infielder from the Lotte Giants. The club signed a 2025 season contract with Oh Sun-jin for an annual salary of 40 million won at the Gocheok Sky Dome club office in Seoul on the morning of the 17th."
Kiwoom, which has been at the bottom of the league for the last two consecutive seasons, is undergoing a rebuilding process with the goal of 2026. That's because main pitchers such as Ahn Woo-jin, Kim Jae-woong, Kim Sung-jin, and Lee Seung-ho will return after completing their military service that year. In preparation for 2026, Kiwoom has collected many promising players by actively gathering rookie nominations. As many as 16 top-ranked rookies (4 in 2023, 6 in 2024, 6 in 2025) have been selected within three rounds from the 2023 Rookie Draft to the 2025 Rookie Draft.
Kiwoom's rebuilding has already begun to produce results to some extent. catcher Kim Dong-heon (12th in the second round), who was selected in the 2023 Rookie Draft, underwent Tommy John surgery, but was selected as a member of the national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games and won the gold medal, while catcher Kim Gun-hee (6th in the first round) showed his potential by batting .257 (67 hits in 261 at-bats) in 83 games this year with nine homers, 38 RBIs, 27 runs and an OPS.718.
In the 2024 rookie draft, which focused on selecting pitchers, Kim Yoon-ha (9th in the first round) gained experience as a starting pitcher by recording 19 games (79 innings), one win, six losses and two holds with an ERA of 6.04, while Jeon Joon-pyo (8th in the first round), Lee Jae-sang (16th in the second round), Son Hyun-ki (19th in the second round), and Kim Yeon-joo (29th in the third round) will play in the first division. Chung Hyeon-woo, a left-hander who received the first overall pick in the 2025 rookie draft, is expected to play as a starting pitcher immediately next year.
Amid the ongoing rebuilding process, Kiwoom has also aggressively recruited veteran players who are visiting the team this winter. Starting with recruiting outfielder Kang Jin-seong, outfielder Kim Dong-yeop, right-handed pitcher Jang Pil-joon, and infielder Oh Sun-jin one after another. At first glance, the move does not fit the stance of rebuilding.
"Based on his diverse experience and skill, he is expected to play an important role as a backup infielder. It will also be of great help to the management of the fielders in next season," Kiwoom said when recruiting Oh Sun-jin.
While it is true that Kiwoom has proactively gathered young promising players, it is naturally not easy to play just with young players for one season. Moreover, Kiwoom has seen many departures of key players such as Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), Choi Won-tae (Samsung Samsung), Kim Hui-jip (NC) and Kim Hye-sung recently. We need experienced veterans who can lead the team. 온라인바카라
In order for young players to grow, they need not only to play a lot, but also to have a winning experience, life in the first team, and learn the routines well. The veterans Kiwoom recruited are seniors who can help younger players adapt to the first team. Kiwoom's recruitment of veterans can be seen as part of a process to successfully complete the rebuild.
Attention is focusing on whether Kiwoom, which is running toward the end of rebuilding, will be able to show the possibility of trying to win the Korean Series once again next season.