It couldn't have been culled like this." 4 billion FA appeared → Give up hot corners → Lose 12 kg...How did the ironman third baseman go to the outfield

It couldn't have been culled like this." 4 billion FA appeared → Give up hot corners → Lose 12 kg...How did the ironman third baseman go to the outfield

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Hwang Jae-kyun, a former third baseman of KT Wiz in the professional baseball league, ended up trying to double play in the outfield position at the late age of 38.

Hwang Jae-gyun returned home through Incheon International Airport with the KT squad on the afternoon of the 6th after the second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan.

At the airport, Hwang said, "In the past, if I only practiced one position, I would have practiced here and there this time. During the practice game, I played by changing positions, and it felt different from previous years."스포츠토토

How did he feel when he played a position that he had never played before? "I had no sense of rejection. I practiced a lot, so I pulled it off without much inconvenience," Hwang said.

Hwang Jae-gyun suddenly practiced various positions at a late age because KT recruited FA Huh Kyung-min, who won the KBO third baseman's defense award last year, for four years and 4 billion won in the Stove League. Huh Kyung-min was a dynastic infielder who led Doosan to the Korean Series for the first seven consecutive years in professional baseball, winning the Golden Glove in the third baseman category in 2018 and the KBO third baseman's defense award in 2024, and playing as the main third baseman in Premier 12, WBC (World Baseball Classic) and the Tokyo Olympics.

Since moving to KT in 2018, Hwang has become a hot corner for the Wizards for seven consecutive seasons. However, the club is taking on a new challenge as it invested 4 billion won (approx. In December last year, Hwang gave up competition for third baseman and decided to switch to utility.

According to coach Lee Kang-chul, Hwang played second and shortstop as well as outfield defense during the camp. "It wasn't easy, but I want to do my best to prepare for the season," Hwang said. "I tried my best to adapt to the new environment."

It was a decision closely related to Hwang's survival. "I put it down without being greedy. Shouldn't I choose how to survive?" he said, expressing his honest feelings, "I accepted a lot and prepared a lot because I couldn't be this easy to be eliminated. I am confident that I will win the competition, and I hope that this part will appear as a grade."

Asked which position was most comfortable for him, he said, "The infield was not repulsed by watching the second baseman or shortstop, but the throwing part of the ball was harder than I thought. The ball didn't fly well, so I asked the outfield juniors for advice, but they said I should use my lower body a little more. The infielder throws lightly with his wrist, but I plan to pay more attention when playing catch to make a good throw in the outfield."

Hwang also lost 12 kilograms in order to become a utility player. "I have to play various positions here and there, so I just made my body accordingly," he said with a smile. "When I lose weight, I can lose power, but I kept on gaining weight by doing weight training. I haven't seen my power drop yet, but if it doesn't go over, I lost power, and if it goes over, I lost weight while maintaining power."

"I don't think there's a big problem when I see the ball flying during the practice game, but practice and play are different, so I'll feel it while playing," he added.

Hwang has two main goals this year. He aims to play in various positions individually, and hopes Team KT will perform well early in the season, not as a slow starter.

Hwang Jae-gyun said, "My first goal is to play every day. I have to play in several positions without getting hurt so that I can go to an empty position and play," adding, "I'm looking forward to not only myself but also the coaching staff and all the players going up from the beginning this year. I've been looking forward to it every year, but it's not going as I thought, so I'll have to open the lid of the season to see what will happen."