Will KT Wiz’s leading hitter Kang Baek-ho (23) handle the salary issue well?
Kang Baek-ho played in 62 games in the 2022 season with a toe fracture and hamstring injury, and had a batting average of . He sat down with a below-average performance in the KBO League’s signature hitter. His first salary cut was unavoidable due to poor performance that prevented him from showing his business card.
The key was the reduction in the annual salary of 550 million won in 2022. They have been in a tight tug-of-war in salary negotiations and are approaching the start of spring camp, but there is no news of an agreement. It seems that there is a significant gap between the club’s proposal and the amount the player thinks. There are also concerns that the spring camp will be disrupted due to the failure to reach an agreement on salary negotiations.
On the 29th, KT leaves for Arizona, USA, for spring camp. Director Lee Kang-cheol, who is leaving the country first on the 27th, can’t help but worry. The KT team showed their will, “We plan to continue meeting and adjusting this week, and we are aiming to go to camp after stamping. We will finish as much as possible before we go.”
Kang Baek-ho has been on a winning streak since his debut season. In 2018, he started a brilliant professional career by hitting a home run in his first at-bat in his debut against KIA Hector Noesi. He posted an honors grade of 2.9 with 29 home runs and 84 RBIs with an OPS of .880. His annual salary rose vertically from 27 million won to 120 million won. 스포츠토토
In the 2019 season, he raised his batting average to 3.36 and recorded 13 homers and 65 RBIs. His annual salary also increased by 90 million won, surpassing the 200 million mark (210 million won) at once. In 2020, he won 100 million won again with 3 3 points, 23 homers, 89 RBIs, OPS 0.955, and became a man in the 300 million range (310 million won).
The 2021 season was the winner. Although he only hit 16 home runs, he broke the 100 mark (102) for the first time and had a batting average of 3.4 and 0.971 OPS. He had an on-base percentage of 4.5. With the advantage of his first championship, he raised 240 million won at once, soaring to 550 million won. He took the highest amount in his fifth year, but had the worst performance in the 2022 season.
Kang Baek-ho was selected as the national team for the WBC tournament to be held in March. Coach Lee Kang-cheol and the technical committee judged last year’s sluggish performance as a one-off, and chose him because he thought he would play an active role on the international stage. Athletes must have had a strong will to revive by using the WBC tournament as a stepping stone. However, due to the salary issue, concerns are focused on the fact that it can affect not only the individual and the club, but also the national team.