Samsung Lions’ Koo Ja-wook (30) showed his pride for being the highest paid player this season.
Ja-wook Koo started as a right fielder twice in an exhibition game against Kiwoom Heroes of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 24th and recorded 1 hit in 3 at-bats. Samsung won 4-3 come-from-behind.
In February of last year, Ja-wook Koo, who signed a 5-year, 12 billion won extension contract with Samsung and became a Samsung franchise star, suffered injuries and sluggishness in the first year of the extension contract, batting average of . He only recorded an OPS of .741.
Unfortunately, Ja-wook Koo, who finished the season, showed a desperate appearance by participating in the finishing camp after the season. Koo Ja-wook, who honestly said, “Last year was sluggish,” said, “I know that I was very lacking, and everyone knows. That’s why I couldn’t do anything. He tried to prepare better and tried to be a little more serious.”
Perhaps thanks to these efforts스포츠토토, his start to the exhibition game is good. Koo Ja-wook is cruising with a batting average of 3.33 (7 hits in 21 bats) and 3 RBIs with an OPS of .986 in 8 games. “In a way, he trained a lot to achieve enlightenment for about four months,” said Ja-wook Koo, who said, “There were more failures, but I learned a lot from them. He seems to be building confidence as the results come out in the demonstration game,” he said, expressing his confidence.
Regarding the failure in the practice process, Ja-wook Koo said, “When you practice, you compromise with yourself. In a real match he has to fight the pitcher. In the end, it could be the mental part, but when I was playing, I wasn’t fighting the pitcher, I was fighting myself. I think it didn’t go well because I had that kind of mind. Now, I am working hard to fight in harmony with the pitcher,” he explained. He continued, “If there is discomfort at the plate, I keep thinking about it. I have to go out to fight, but I was thinking that way, so I had no choice but to be at a disadvantage.”
Ja-wook Koo, who received an annual salary of 2 billion won this season, ranked first in the league. There may be a sense of pressure, but Koo Ja-wook said, “It is a huge pride. I really appreciate him and in a way I think he is the driving force that makes me work hard. More seriously, he doesn’t want to show a bad side on the baseball field, and wants to show a great side. He is working with that mindset,” he said, promising to play an active role worthy of his annual salary.