I was very attached to Korea and Lotte, which made the moment of parting all the more dramatic, disappointing, and sad. Romance alone could not solve all the problems. Such was the relationship between the Lotte Giants and Ahn Kwon-soo, 30.
Lotte announced the news of his removal from the disabled list on June 26. They announced the removal of Korean-American Ahn Kwon-soo, free agent compensation player Moon Moon-chan, outfielder Park Hyung-joon, pitcher Jung Dae-hyuk, and outfielder Uhm Tae-ho from the protected list.
Ahn Kwon-soo is the player of interest. Ahn played in the Japanese Independent League after attending Waseda University. He crossed the Korean Strait with the sole intention of playing in his grandfather’s country. After a tryout, he was selected by Doosan in the 10th round of the 2020 KBO Draft. However, as a Korean-American, he was forced to play on a limited basis from the moment he was drafted by Doosan.
Under the current military service law, overseas Koreans lose their overseas citizen status and are classified as expatriates once they have lived in South Korea for more than three years. If Ahn does not fulfill his military service obligation, he will be restricted from engaging in commercial activities in South Korea.
In three years with Doosan after joining the team in 2020,
Ahn batted 2-for-8 with a .677 OPS in 231 games (318-for-91) with 27 RBIs, 80 runs scored, eight doubles and eight home runs. Last year, he batted 2-for-9 (71-for-239) with 20 RBIs, 43 runs scored, and a .711 OPS in 76 games. He filled the void left by Jeong’s slump. After a blistering start to the season, his pace slowed down in the mid-to-late stages, but Doosan removed Ahn from the disabled list. It was time for a change of scenery, 카지노사이트 and Ahn’s military service came into play. He was nearing the end of his three-year mandatory military service, so the team had no choice but to release him. Ahn’s energy had a positive impact on the Doosan squad, so the team was disappointed.
That’s when Lotte stepped in. They calculated that Ahn could play one more season in Japan. Ahn Kwon-soo, who was planning to go back to Japan and do something unrelated to baseball, still had some regrets about his career and wanted to burn a year at Lotte.
In fact, Ahn put all his energy into Lotte. He was an atmosphere maker in the dugout. His energy permeated Lotte and energized the team. In practice, Ahn did well. With Ahn as the offensive spark in the leadoff spot, the offense ran smoothly. In 22 games during the month of April, he batted 3-for-8 (27 for 85) with two home runs, 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored, and an OPS of .815.
It was around this time that talk of extending Ahn’s time-limited baseball career began to be discussed within the organization. The team didn’t want to let him go after just one year, but it was a prerequisite to resolve his military service issue. A multi-year contract was reportedly discussed internally to secure Ahn’s status and resolve his military service issue.
Add to that another option: a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Ahn was included in the preliminary roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games based on his performance in April. If Ahn makes the team and wins a gold medal, it would naturally solve his military service issue. It was the best option for him to continue his career in South Korea without any restrictions.
However, since May, he has been struggling with a bone spur in his right elbow. Her momentum plummeted in April, and in June she underwent surgery to remove the bone chips from her elbow. She lost her spot on the Hangzhou Asian Games team. He was expected to return in September at the end of the season.
With a monster rehabilitation pace, he returned in August, about a month early. The team missed his presence, so they pushed for an early return before he was 100%, and of course, he didn’t want to waste time in what could be his last season in Korea.
Ahn’s elbow made a late recovery, but his season was coming to an end. In 95 games, Ahn finished the year batting .268 (72-for-268) with two home runs, 29 RBIs, 42 runs scored, 16 doubles, and a .662 OPS.
Neither Ahn nor Lotte wanted to say goodbye. In his farewell home game, Ahn thanked Lotte fans for their support throughout the year. He shed tears in a mixture of happiness and regret. He shared a room with Yoon Dong-hee and Kim Min-seok, who both made the first team this year, and acted as mentors both technically and mentally. His presence as a ‘big brother’ contributed a lot to the growth of Yoon Dong-hee and Kim Min-seok. During Ahn Kwon-soo’s home final, Kim Min-seok was as emotional as Ahn Kwon-soo.
A media outlet reported that Ahn Kwon-soo was undergoing a physical examination to resolve his military service.
It was a sign that Ahn was seriously considering the option of resolving his military service and becoming a Korean citizen to continue his career, but he had to consider the realities of the situation.
Ahn’s family lives in Japan. Even during the season, he traveled to Japan to visit his family. If Ahn were to become a South Korean citizen, he would have to live away from home for about a year and a half to complete his military service, which is not something he can decide on his own.
Before the regular season home finale, Ahn said, “I don’t plan to play more baseball in Japan. If I want to play more baseball in Korea, I have to go to the army,” he said, adding, “I’ve been pain-free since early September. I thought I could play a little bit now. I think I can show it again if they give me one more chance. It’s a shame because the season is coming to an end. I also want to continue playing baseball,” he said, adding that he had been thinking about it.
“I think I could do it again if I were alone, but I have a family,” he said, adding, “I’ll have to talk to them after the season is over.” In the end, Ahn had few realistic options.
In the end, Ahn decided that continuing his career in South Korea was not an option. Lotte had no choice but to remove him from the roster. 스포츠토토사이트 In order for Ahn to be willing to play again and play for another team in the KBO, he would have to resolve his military service issue. There was no ‘romance’ in the face of reality.