“I don’t know when the opportunity will come, but I’ll be there for it”…Lotte’s ‘reverse-opener’ from the second team’s ‘home run king’

“I don’t know when the opportunity will come, but I will prepare well for that time”

The Lotte Giants officially announced on the 22nd that they “signed outfielder Kook Hae-sung” and revealed the background, saying, “We judged that Kook Hae-sung will help strengthen the outfield depth and utilize substitute resources as a switch-hitter who can create his own.”

A graduate of Incheon High School, Kook Hae-sung began his professional career with the Doosan Bears as a developmental player in 2008 after not being selected by any club in the rookie draft, and made his first appearance in 2012. A switch-hitter, Kook’s biggest strength is his long ball. He has shown his ‘one-hit’ ability by hitting double-digit home runs on two occasions, including the 2019 Futures League Northern League Home Runs title.

His career-high season in the first team came in 2016, when he played in 58 games, hitting .278 with 42 hits, four home runs, 24 RBIs, 28 runs scored, and 28 runs batted in, helping Doosan win the title that year. However, injuries prevented him from playing a full season, and he declared himself a future free agent after the 2021 season, but no teams came calling.

Kook hung up his jersey after playing in 214 games over eight professional seasons with 99 hits, 11 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a .238 batting average, but he never let go of the baseball. Since 2022, Kook Hae-sung has been playing for the independent Seongnam MacPies, trying to get back into the professional ranks, which led him to join Lotte.

It was a “reverse offense” that brought him to Lotte. Kook Hae-sung, who had been steadily building his body and maintaining his practical skills with the Seongnam MacPies, requested a ‘test’ through an acquaintance at Lotte, and received a call from Lotte on the 19th. He held a tryout before the Lotte-SSG Landers game on the 20th.토토사이트

When contacted by ‘My Daily,’ Kook Hae-sung said, “There was talk about the test a few days ago. I contacted Lotte first. I was playing a game on Friday (19th) and was told, ‘Come to resign by 12 noon on Saturday (20th).’ I was contacted on Friday, and I rushed to Sajik to take the test,” he explained.

Kook Hae-sung’s career has had many twists and turns, including joining the franchise as an undrafted player and playing in an independent league. “It was a little difficult in that regard because the environment in the independent league was poor, but coach Shin and the coaches gave me a lot of consideration. When I was training, I didn’t even think about how hard it was, and I was grateful. Now that I’m wearing the Lotte uniform, I think I should do well with a new mindset,” he smiled.