adminWhen LG announced a multi-year contract with Oh Ji-hwan for 6 years and up to 12.4 billion won, I received an email from a baseball fan. The opinion was that Oh Ji-hwan’s contract was ‘overpay’.
Prior to the 2020 season, LG signed a 4-year, 4 billion won free agent contract with Oh Ji-hwan, and this year is the last year of the contract. Prior to Oh Ji-hwan’s free agent qualification, LG signed a multi-year, virtually life-long contract. From 2024 to 2029, the contract period is 6 years, a total of 12.4 billion won (10 billion won in guarantee, 2.4 billion won in options).
Fans mentioning overpay pointed to Oh Ji-hwan’s six-year guaranteed contract from the age of 34 to 39. He is considered one of the best shortstops in the league, but the question is whether Oh Ji-hwan can earn an average guaranteed ransom of about 1.7 billion won by the age of 39.
It is not easy for a shortstop to maintain a position with a lot of movement and athletic ability steadily until the late 30s. It may be different for each player, but the shortstop and second baseman from the national team, who were among the best in the league, showed a downward trend from their mid-30s.
Doosan Kim Jae-ho, nicknamed the “genius shortstop,” signed a 4-year, 5 billion won contract ahead of the 2017 season. Four years later, ahead of the 2021 season, he signed a second free agency contract for 3 years and 2.5 billion won. Doosan did not guarantee 4 years.
His three-year contract is Kim Jae-ho’s 36-38 season. Jaeho Kim has had a negative WAR since the 2021 36-year-old season. He had a steep aging curve. He’s even been below average, as he’s been racked up by cup injuries.
In 89 games in 2021, the batting average was only 209 li (44 hits in 211 bats), 1 home run, 24 RBIs, OPS .567. Last year, he participated in 102 games and had a batting average of .205 (48 hits in 223 at-bats), 1 home run, 21 RBIs, and an OPS of .564. His two-year plate appearances totaled 251 at-bats and 264, just over half of the required plate appearances.
‘Devil’s second baseman’ Jeong Geun-woo also retired in his late 30s with a sharp decline. Prior to the 2014 season, Jeong Geun-woo obtained free agent status and signed a four-year contract with Hanwha for 7 billion won. After reacquiring free agency, he renewed the contract for 2 + 1 year and 3.5 billion won in the 2018 season. It was a 3-year contract for Jung Geun-woo at the age of 36-38.
In the 2018 36-year-old season, Jeong Geun-woo maintained a top-notch skill with a batting average of 304 (114 hits in 375 at-bats), 11 homers, 57 RBIs, and an OPS of .838 in 102 games. However, he fell to a . 688 OPS with 3 home runs and 30 RBIs in 88 games in his 37-year-old season in 2019.
At the end of 2019, the team moved from Hanwha to LG in the second draft, and Jung Geun-woo batted 2.4 in 72 games (37 hits in 154 at-bats), 1 home run, 14 RBIs, OPS. 608. LG was last. He retired after playing until his 38th season.
Ahead of the 2022 season, LG signed a second FA contract with Kim Hyun-soo for up to 11.5 billion won in 4+2 years. This is Kim Hyun-soo’s 34-39 year old season. Coincidentally, Oh Ji-hwan’s 6-year contract period and age are the same.
Kim Hyun-soo’s contract has a 4+2 year option, not a 6-year guarantee. His first four years is a guaranteed contract of 9 billion won (down payment of 5 billion won, annual salary of 4 billion won). This is a contract condition that automatically extends the contract for 2 years and 2.5 billion won when the option is achieved during the 4-year contract period. Instead of a six-year guarantee, a two-year, 2.5 billion won contract is run as an option, depending on performance over four years. The club has prepared a minimum stabilization device.
However, Oh Ji-hwan is a six-year, 10 billion won contract with a 2.4 billion won option.
In 142 games last year, Oh Ji-hwan recorded a batting average of 2.69, 25 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases, with an OPS of .827. In 2021, his performance improved significantly with a batting average of .
He recorded ’20 (home run) -20 (steal)’ for the first time as a shortstop using Jamsil Stadium as his home stadium, and won his first Golden Glove in his debut. He found the right bat and hit 25 home runs, his personal most.
His career batting average of .2 6 5 Lee is still ranked among the league’s best in shortstop defense, although his hitting precision is still lacking. 토토사이트
After the contract, LG mentioned Oh Ji-hwan’s royalties. The LG club said, “It is a franchise star as a one-club man. As a national team shortstop, he is a player who not only records, but also sets an example for players in the locker room and dugout. Through his multi-year contract, we expect him to focus on the season in a more stable psychological situation and produce the best performance on the ground.”
Cha Myeong-seok, general manager of LG, praised Oh Ji-hwan’s durability. He has been playing full-time as the starting shortstop every season without major injuries. He has played more than 134 games each in the last 5 years.
Oh Ji-hwan, who has been proud of his steel stamina, is expected to achieve steady results not only in his mid-30s but also in his late 30s. Whether Oh Ji-hwan will live up to it remains to be seen over the next six years.