SSG Landers\' eldest brother Choo Shin-soo (42) is sweating his last beads of sweat ahead of the last dance of the 2024 season.
Choo Shin-soo announced through the club in mid-December last year that he would take off his uniform at the end of the 2024 season.
This is a decision made after careful consideration. He had a strong desire to play baseball more, but he also wanted to finish it because he was concerned that other players would not be treated properly due to the high salary (1.7 billion won in 2023).
However, after the 2023 season, as the team experienced internal troubles such as the replacement of the coach and general manager, the idea of restoring the team atmosphere dominated my mind. New coach Lee Sung-yong also directly contacted Choo Shin-soo and suggested that he take over as captain, and eventually declared his ‘noticeable retirement’.
In addition, considering the club\'s salary cap situation, he decided to receive the minimum annual salary (30 million won). He decided to donate all of this to places in need, so he decided to spend a year essentially without pay.
The process of deciding to extend his active duty was difficult, but he steadily prepared for the season afterward. Until last year, he worked out on his own while commuting to Landers Field, but began working out in earnest at his home in Texas, USA, early last month.
Like last year, we invited junior team members and stayed with Park Jong-hoon (33), Ha Jae-hoon (34), and Park Dae-on (29) for about two weeks to hone our skills. Afterwards, on January 30th, he moved to Vero Beach, Florida, the SSG spring camp site, and is working with all team members.
Choo Shin-soo dreams of a happy ending at SSG this year. The goal is to win the Korean Series championship again. He has already achieved the goal he set when entering the KBO by winning in 2022, but his greed remains.
Choo Shin-soo said, "People around me say that our team\'s strength has weakened, but I think differently. If I wasn\'t confident about winning, I would have chosen to retire. I think SSG can make it to at least the top three this year. What role will I play in winning the championship?" “You can do it,” he emphasized.
The more he wears the uniform as a player, the more motivated he is to perform well.
Choo Shin-soo played an active part in the Major League from 2005 to 2020 with a total of 1,652 games, a batting average of 0.275, 218 home runs, 782 RBI, and 157 stolen bases. The path Choo Shin-soo walked was titled ‘the first from Asia.’
However, in 2021, he did not perform as well as his reputation while wearing the SSG uniform.
He seemed unable to overcome the passage of time, with a batting average of 0.265 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 2021, a batting average of 0.259 with 16 home runs, 58 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in 2022, and 0.254 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI, and 6 stolen bases in 2023. He also suffered a lot from his own pride.
It is best to achieve better results and retire this year. If the performance is not as good as I wanted, I am prepared to go to the second group.
Choo Shin-soo said, "Rather than personal records, I want to correct the team\'s performance and culture. In order for this team to continue to be a strong team in the future, I will pass on my know-how to my juniors and leave the field."
As it is the final season, I have a great desire to give fans unforgettable memories.
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