At the same time as exceeding 1 billion won in annual salary, he added the responsibility of ‘captain’. Expectations are rising for the final season of the KBO League’s best hitter Lee Jeong-hoo (25, Kiwoom Heroes) on the domestic stage.
Kiwoom announced on the 20th that it had signed a contract with Lee Jeong-hoo for an annual salary of 1.1 billion won for the 2023 season.
Lee Jung-hoo, who received 750 million won last year, has surpassed 1 billion won with an annual salary of 350 million won (46.7%).
FA in the KBO League. This is the first time that he has exceeded the annual salary of 1 billion won with a one-year contract, excluding returning to overseas players. Previously, the highest annual salary record for a single year, not in the case of FA or overseas return, was 850 million won, which Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG) received in 2016.
It was a result well worth the ‘annual salary of 1.1 billion won’. Lee Jung-hoo won the batting title for the second consecutive year with a batting average of 0.349 in the 2022 season, as well as 5 titles including the most hits (193), RBIs (113), on-base percentage (0.421), and slugging percentage (0.575). He literally dominated the league and won the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP).
This is not the first time Lee Jung-hoo, who debuted in 2017, has set a record for annual salary. Lee Jung-hoo, who has been performing at the top level every season since her debut season, has also increased her salary every year.
After receiving the minimum annual salary of 30 million won in the first year of joining Lee Jung-hoo, he changed the record for the highest annual salary (100 million won) in the second year held by Ryu Hyun-jin (then Hanwha) with 110 million won in 2018, the second year.
The annual salary record breaking continued. In 2018, the third year, he earned 230 million won, surpassing Ryu Hyun-jin’s 180 million won, and in the fourth year, 2020, he won 390 million won, far behind Ryu Hyun-jin (240 million won).
In 2021, the fifth year, he received 550 million won, surpassing the 320 million won that former Kiwoom colleague Kim Ha-seong had, and the annual salary in 2022 was 750 million won, nearly doubling the highest annual salary of Ryu Hyun-jin (400 million won) in the 6th year. renewed by a large amount.
The 750 million won has already surpassed the highest annual salary for the 7th year (2020, Kim Ha-seong, 550 million won) and the 8th year (NC Na Seong-beom, 550 million won, 2019).
Lee Jung-hoo was also appointed as the captain of Kiwoom for the new season. Kiwoom director Hong Won-ki requested it in a meeting with Lee Jung-hoo, and Lee Jung-hoo accepted it.
Although the 2023 season is in his 7th year, Lee Jung-hoo is already being evaluated for his outstanding skills and leadership that encompasses the entire team. He also made an impressive appearance by encouraging his teammates after their defeat was confirmed in the Korean Series last year.
Kiwoom is also a club that does not greatly limit the age, with Kim Hye-seong, who is younger than Lee Jung-hoo, 슬롯사이트 once serving as captain.
Lee Jung-hoo has conveyed his intention to challenge the overseas league at the end of this season to the club. As the club accepted this, Lee Jung-hoo’s 2023 season became the last season to play in the domestic league.
Lee Jung-hoo, who finished second in the Korean Series last year and swallowed the Bunru, has only one goal remaining in the KBO League, the championship.
In an interview after the season, Lee Jung-hoo reaffirmed his determination several times, saying, “I will definitely win the championship next season.”
Even after being appointed as captain that day, he reiterated his intention to prioritize team performance, saying, “I will do my best to help the team rise to a higher level in a good atmosphere.”
Lee Jung-hoo, who added the weight of the captain’s armband on his shoulder, along with his best personal performance and an appropriate salary. Will Lee Jung-hoo, who is about to advance overseas, decorate the last season of the KBO League with a happy ending called ‘winning’?