SSG Landers will not renew eight players, including pitcher Park Jong-hun
In short
SSG Landers said on October 10 that it would not renew contracts for eight players next season, including pitcher Park Jong-hun (박종훈). The club said it made the decision on Park early to give him time to explore a wider range of career options.
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SSG Landers announced on October 10 that eight players, including pitcher Park Jong-hun (박종훈), would not have their contracts renewed for next season. The club said it valued Park's contributions to its Korean Series titles in 2018 and 2022. Following discussions, it decided early against renewal to allow him to explore a wider range of career options, Yonhap and Newsis reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
Park, 35, joined the club's predecessor, SK Wyverns, as the ninth overall selection in the second round of the 2010 draft. He became part of the starting rotation from 2015 and represented South Korea at the 2019 Premier12, Yonhap reported. Before the 2022 season, he signed a five-year contract worth 6.5 billion won outside the free-agent system, including 5.6 billion won in salary and 900 million won in options. [ 2 ]
His career KBO League record was 72 wins, 79 losses and one hold in 245 appearances, with a 4.85 earned run average. This season, he did not appear for the first team. In the Futures League, he made 21 appearances, recording one win, four losses, one save and four holds, with a 3.51 earned run average. Newsis reported that he had changed his pitching form last year while trying to recover his performance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The other players receiving non-renewal notices were pitchers Kim Seong-min (김성민), Kim Jun-yeong (김준영), An Hyeon-seo (안현서), Lee Seung-hun (이승훈) and Han Ji-heon (한지헌), and position players Park Jeong-bin (박정빈) and Seok Jeong-u (석정우). Chosun Ilbo reported that SSG would continue reshaping its roster for next season. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Park joined the club's predecessor in 2010 and contributed to the team's 2018 and 2022 Korean Series titles. He made no first-team appearances this season.
Key facts
- SSG notified eight players that their contracts would not be renewed next season. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Park Jong-hun (박종훈) was among the players receiving notice. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Park joined predecessor SK Wyverns in the 2010 draft. [ 2 , 3 ]
- He contributed to Korean Series titles in 2018 and 2022. [ 2 , 3 ]
- He made no first-team appearances this season. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On October 10, Chosun Ilbo carried the announcement of SSG's eight-player roster changes. [ 1 ]