“I thought I might not be able to play baseball.”
Lee Myeong-gi (36), a “outfielder with a total of 30% total”, who was almost left as a free agent, finally found a new team. On the 14th, he signed a free agent contract with NC for up to 100 million won (50 million won in salary, 50 million won in options) for a year and was traded to Hanwha. While receiving catcher Lee Jae-yong (24) along with Lee Myung-ki, Hanwha gave infielder Jo Hyun-jin (21) and the 2024 rookie round 7 (61 overall) nomination rights to NC.
Lee Myung-gi obtained his first FA qualification after finishing the season last year. He had a career batting average of 30% (.307) and was over the age of 35, and was a C grade with no compensation players, but the market evaluation was cold. He passed the year and remained on the free agent market as an uncontracted status even after spring camp began in February. As time went by nervously, Hanwha, who needed reinforcements in the outfield, reached out a helping hand.
On the morning of the 14th, after signing a contract with NC in Changwon, Lee Myung-gi, who came up to Daejeon and received club supplies, said, “It was really difficult to find a team. I am very grateful to Hanwha, and I feel a sense of responsibility to do better,” he said. Hanwha general manager Sohn Hyuk called me to ask about my physical condition and congratulated me.”
The terms of the contract are tight. Excluding an option of 50 million won, the guaranteed annual salary is 50 million won, which is the lowest level. It is a 71.4% cut from last year’s annual salary of 175 million won, but Lee Myung-gi is good at being able to play baseball again.
He said, “It is more important to play baseball than the terms of the contract.” It was fine until January, but after spring camp started in February, I thought, ‘I might not be able to play baseball’. He didn’t worry about retirement, but he also thought about the situation where he couldn’t play baseball even if he wanted to.”
Born in Incheon High School, Lee Myung-gi, who debuted in the first team in 2008 after being nominated for SK in the 2nd round of 8th round in 2006 with the 63rd overall, played 13 seasons through KIA and NC. He, who has always played baseball except for his military service period, said, “Looking back, there was no time like this. It was a time when he felt grateful for wearing a uniform.” 바카라
Lee Myung-gi, who has been struggling with free agency all winter, is now looking ahead again. He said, “Until January, I did individual exercises at the center, and from February, I trained with middle and high school student athletes in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. He is in good shape,” he said, revealing his confidence. On the 15th, he will move to Kochi, Japan, and join the Hanwha Futures spring camp.
Lee Myung-gi is a veteran who has won the Korean Series as a main player in KIA in 2017 and NC in 2020. He is a player who has won every team he goes to, so it is expected that he will bring good energy to Hanwha. Regarding this, Lee Myung-gi said, “Fortunately, we won every time we moved teams. I hope that good energy will continue in Hanwha. I want to play fall baseball and get good results,” he laughed.
Lee Myung-gi, who received a congratulatory message from Hanwha captain Jung Woo-ram, who he worked with during SK, said, “Hanwha has many young and promising players. (As a senior) I want to help young players as well. Just because he’s old doesn’t make me think he’s a veteran. I’ve experienced both the good and the bad while playing baseball. I think I can help young players in the mental aspect of what to do when things go wrong,” he said.
He continued, “Competition is something every team does every year. I am confident that I will do well in the given role in any position,” he said. “Every time I came to Daejeon, I saw that Hanwha fans always cheered passionately. Now that I am wearing the Hanwha uniform, I will do my best every day, so please support me a lot. I will definitely help the team win a lot.”