While the LG Twins have successfully signed a free agent contract with Jang Hyun-sik, the “biggest bull pen fish,” they will meet the remaining “biggest free agent” in the team. Choi Won-tae, an internal FA resource, is none other than Choi Won-tae.
LG has steadily strengthened its strength in this stove league as well. “We signed a four-year contract with Jang Hyun-sik of the FA for a total of 5.2 billion won (down payment of 1.6 billion won, annual salary of 3.6 billion won).
LG explained the background of the recruitment, saying, “Jang Hyun-sik is an intermediate pitcher with proven excellent ball power and control. He has shown his value well through this season and expects to help our club run the bullpen pitcher team.”
Jang, who graduated from Sindoh Elementary School, Seoul Lee Soo Middle School, and Seoul High School, wore the NC Dinos uniform as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2013 rookie draft. When he joined the team, the down payment was 150 million won. Jang, who fulfilled his mandatory military service at the National Police Agency, served as a key bullpen pitcher for NC until the 2019 season.
Jang Hyun-sik left NC to wear his KIA uniform through a trade in August 2020. Instead of Jang Hyun-sik and Kim Tae-jin, who played for NC at the time, heading to KIA, it was a 2:2 trade, in which Moon Kyung-chan and Park Jung-soo will wear NC uniforms. And until this season, Jang Hyun-sik has played more than 50 innings in the last four consecutive seasons, playing as Kia’s must-win team.
From the 2021 season to this season, he played more than 50 innings for four consecutive seasons. After moving to Kia, he played seven consecutive three innings, 75 consecutive two innings and 60 multi-innings, respectively, showing good durability. In the 2021 season, he played 34 holds, and won the title of “Hold King.”
This season, Jang pitched in 75 games, posting 5 wins, 4 losses, 16 holds, an ERA of 3.94 and 75 ⅓ innings, 75 hits, eight homers, 34 walks, 75 strikeouts, 41 runs (33 earned runs), 1.45 saves, and a batting average of 0.260 WHIP. During his 11 professional seasons, Jang has played in 437 games, recording 32 wins, 36 losses, seven saves, 91 holds, and an ERA of 4.91. While pitching 592 innings, he posted a total of 523 hits (72 homeruns), 351 runs (323 earned runs) with 520 strikeouts, which were hit by 301 walks and 21 bodies.
Choi Won-tae, LG’s only free agent this year, is the youngest ever free agent in the team. For now, LG signed a contract with Jang Hyun-sik, not Choi Won-tae. Meanwhile, he will meet Choi for the first time since the opening of the free agent market. “I will meet Choi’s agent on the 12th. Let’s meet and hear from him,” Cha Myung-seok, LG’s general manager, told Star News after recruiting Jang.
Choi pitched in 24 games this season, posting nine wins, seven losses and an earned run average of 4.26. While pitching in a total of 126 ⅔ innings, he posted 126 hits (ten homers), 57 walks, 103 strikeouts and 66 runs (60 earned runs) with WHIP (on-base allowed per inning) 1.44 and a batting average of 0.263. He pitched 10 quality starts (three earned runs or less in six innings as a starter).
Choi showed disappointment in big games. Choi left the Kiwoom Heroes in July last year through a 3:1 trade, and joined the LG Twins uniform. At the time, he was a winning contractor brought in by the LG Twins despite the risk of losing Lee Ju-hyung, pitcher Kim Dong-gyu, and the first-round rookie award in 2024. However, Choi was particularly weak in autumn baseball. In 17 post-season games, he recorded two losses, one save and three holds with an ERA of 7.26. This year, he allowed three runs (two earned runs) in two ⅔ innings in the semi-playoff, and failed to meet expectations by allowing seven hits (two homers) and three strikeouts (five earned runs) in three innings in the playoffs.
Still, although he has failed to break the terrible fall baseball jinx, he is also a native starting resource that can take responsibility for a season. Since joining the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom Heroes) as the first designated player in 2015, Choi has played in 217 games as a professional player since his debut in 2016, recording 78 wins and 58 losses with a 4.36 ERA (550 earned runs in 1,134 ⅓ innings) and 1,205 hits (92 home runs) with 361 walks and 818 strikeouts. What will LG and Choi talk about when they meet.
Meanwhile, Jang Hyun-sik, who signed the contract, said through the club, “Thank you to the LG Twins for giving us a great opportunity. I also sincerely thank the fans of KIA and NC who have sent me a lot of love and support. I will do my best to receive a lot of love from LG Twins fans from now on. I will also work hard to contribute to producing the best performance with the good players of LG Twins.” 먹튀검증
