Leaving alone…Kang Baek-ho’s promise “Because salary is not everything”

Kang Baek-ho (24, KT) left for the start of 2023.

On the 31st, Kang Baek-ho departed for Tucson, Arizona, USA, where the KT spring camp will begin through Incheon International Airport. All the players left the country on the 29th, but Kang Baek-ho, who was late in preparing for departure due to the latest salary contract, boarded a plane to the United States alone.

Kang Baek-ho, who made his debut as a high school graduate in 2018 and has been running at high speed as a ‘super rookie’, was put on the brakes for the first time last season due to a major injury. A lot has changed. He only played half the season, was in the second team for a long time, and the expectations that had been high all along since his debut have subsided. As a result, his salary this season was drastically cut. Kang Baek-ho, who has always received a top-notch salary for the year, was cut by 47.3% from 550 million won to 290 million won this year, his sixth year. The process was not smooth enough that he only signed late on the night of the 28th, right before the team’s camp departed.

However, as long as he signed his autograph, Kang Baek-ho brushed it all off. He made a commitment to show himself this year with his failure last season as a springboard.

Kang Baek-ho said in an interview before his departure, “I don’t care much about the salary. He signed a contract because he was well-coordinated, and I think the club was very considerate,” he said. “Salary is not everything. I think so. He’s going to show this season that salary doesn’t divide a player’s class,” he said.

The reason Kang Baek-ho suffered the most physically and mentally after his debut was his injury. Just before the start of the season, his toe was fractured from fatigue and underwent surgery, and when he returned during the season, he had to sit out again due to a hamstring injury. It was the first time he had been sidelined for so long due to a naturally occurring injury rather than a game injury.

Kang Baek-ho said, “I felt that I had to take good care of my body. His skills are not everything, and those details eventually affect his skills, and he learned a lot from the immature part last season,” he said. In order to run properly from start to finish without getting hurt, he put more weight on reinforcement exercises than weight training and focused on off-season body care,” he said. 메이저놀이터

Kang Baek-ho was selected for the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) team to be held in March. He must also prepare as a national representative during the preparation period for a very important season in his future baseball life.

Kang Baek-ho, who will wear the third Taegeuk mark following the 2019 Premier 12 and the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, said, “It is my first time joining the national team while preparing for the season, so I am excited and excited. I will learn a lot by watching other players,” he said. I will show a good image with a sense of responsibility. I am determined that only then will the fans be able to accept (for being selected).”