Ahn Kwon-soo (31), who was loved by fans as he played a vital role for the Lotte Giants last year. Although he left the team, he still has the love for Lotte. 토토사이트
Ahn told reporters at Kushikawa Baseball Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, where Lotte's spring camp is held, on Thursday, "I watch a lot of videos from last year when I have a hard time. That way, I get encouraged. I want to go to Korea when I have time."
Ahn Kwon-soo, who wore the Doosan Bears uniform as the 99th overall pick in the 10th round in the second rookie draft in 2020, played in 326 KBO league games for four seasons after going through Lotte last year, batting .278 (163 hits in 586 at-bats) with two home runs, 56 RBIs, 112 runs scored, and 24 steals with an OPS of 0.670 .
Ahn Kwon-soo, who played as a backup outfielder for Doosan, was a third-generation Korean-Japanese who had military service issues. As a result, he had no choice but to leave Doosan despite his good performance in the 2022 season. However, he could play for one more season, so he immediately started recruiting from Lotte.
Ahn, who showed off a flying sense of batting since the beginning of the season, displayed an active batting average of 0.318, serving as a lubricant for batters during April. He also received much love for his role in raising the mood of the team with his bright smile and energetic support. Amid his stellar performance, Lotte continued to cruise through the third place race until May.
However, Ahn, who had been suffering from elbow pain since mid-May, eventually had surgery in June and left the team for a while. Originally, he was diagnosed to take three months to rehabilitate, but returned to the ground in late July after displaying miraculous resilience. Ahn left Korea with a batting average of 0.269 with two homers, 29 RBIs, 42 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases in OPS of 0.662 in 95 games he played for Lotte last season.
An is currently working at a consulting firm in Tokyo with help from an acquaintance whom he has known since high school days. Although he is working as an office worker, he came to Okinawa for the weekend. Visiting Kushikawa on the previous day, he had to go back to Tokyo after watching the game until the second inning.
"Honestly, I had a hard time working as a company worker in Japan," Ahn said. Ahn visited the campsite as an acquaintance of Ahn last year. "I had dinner with Han Dong-hee yesterday, and it reminded me of last year," Ahn said. "I want to play as a player." Ahn also said, "I watch a lot of videos from last year when I have a hard time. That's how I get energy."
Players who met with Ahn shared similar stories. "It's so nice to see you after a long time," catcher Son Seong-bin (22) said. "I felt sorry for you because you really wanted to play baseball."
He also gave advice to players he hadn't seen in a long time. "Middle-class players should do well because there are many young fielders," Ahn said, wishing that Ko Seung-min (24), Hwang Sung-bin (27), and Han Dong-hee (24) would do well. On Kim Tae-hyung (57), manager of the Doosan Bears, Ahn said, "(Players) should trust the coach and do it. I think he has been to the Korean Series for seven consecutive years."
Lastly, Ahn Kwon-soo said, "Thank you for your support last year. I hope you continue to support Lotte because you have the power of your fans." He expressed his longing, saying, "I want to go to Korea when I have time. I want to live in Korea."