Doosan Bears infielder Heo Gyeong-min sincerely wished his friend Oh Ji-hwan of the LG Twins, who was born in 1990, a ‘big deal’.
Heo Kyung-min said in an interview after the club’s 41st anniversary celebration held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 16th, “I said from a few years ago that the best shortstop in the KBO is Oh Ji-hwan.” I know the story of this long-term contract is coming out, but I hope that I will receive an unbreakable amount from the shortstop position in the future.”
Heo Gyeong-min and Oh Ji-hwan were evaluated as super high school level shortstops when they were in high school. In the 2009 rookie draft, 카지노사이트 Oh Ji-hwan was nominated by LG in the first round, and Heo Gyeong-min was nominated by Doosan in the 2nd round, 7th overall, and achieved his dream of joining the pros with good treatment.
However, the KBO stage was not an easy place for prospects. At the time of joining Heo Gyeong-min, he could not step on the first team stage at all in 2009, the first year of his debut, due to Doosan’s national team-level infield depth such as Son Si-heon, Kim Jae-ho, Ko Young-min, Oh Jae-won, and Kim Dong-ju.
In the case of Oh Ji-hwan, he played in 5 games for the first team at the end of the 2009 season and was given many opportunities as LG’s main shortstop the following year, but he had to go through painful growing pains amid frequent mistakes in defense.
However, Heo Gyeong-min and Oh Ji-hwan continued to develop step by step, becoming the third baseman and shortstop representing not only Doosan and LG, but also the KBO league, respectively. Heo Gyeong-min contributed to Doosan’s three Korean Series championships (2015, 2016, 2019) after taking the starting position from the 2015 season when the position was settled at third base. In the 2018 season, he also tasted the joy of winning the Golden Glove for the first third baseman in his life.
Oh Ji-hwan also finally got his hands on the Golden Glove in the shortstop category last year. Not only did he hit 25 homers, the most in a single season, but he also completely erased all the suspicious eyes toward him by showing off the best shortstop defense in the league.
After the end of the 2019 season, the value of shortstop Oh Ji-hwan is soaring every year to the extent that evaluations say that the contract with LG for a total of 4 billion won over 4 years feels like a bargain. With Oh Ji-hwan’s contract ending at the end of the 2023 season, LG is likely to sign a long-term contract to capture Oh Ji-hwan.
Heo Kyung-min felt more satisfaction than anyone else watching Oh Ji-hwan’s Golden Glove award last year. Along with this, he expressed his sincere desire for his friend to be recognized for a higher value and to succeed in a large-scale contract.
He also expressed his aspirations to challenge for the Golden Gloves again in the 2023 season. He also jokingly revealed that he misses the atmosphere at the Golden Globes.
Heo Gyeong-min said, “I could go to the awards ceremony even if I only came second in the Golden Glove voting, but the third basemen of other teams are so outstanding. I want to go to the awards ceremony wearing a suit this year. I think I should do it,” he emphasized.