An Chi-hong has been working out at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon since the 11th. An Chi-hong, who signed an FA contract with Hanwha for up to 7.2 billion won for 4+2 years on Nov. 20 last year, moved quickly as he set up a house in his new hometown of Daejeon in December.
"I came to Daejeon early because I wanted to get used to it soon. I moved my luggage in mid-December. I am in the process of getting used to it because I came down alone (with my family)," he said. "I am in the process of getting used to it. After the spring camp, exhibition games begin soon, and after the exhibition games end, it is the season." "I came here quickly because I thought I would feel that this place is home ground only when I get used to it (off-season training) even for a short period of time." As the WBSC Premier 12 competition is scheduled to take place after the season, the opening of this year's KBO League season has been moved up by a week to March 23.
In line with that, Ahn has accelerated preparations. Since December, Ahn has been steadily building his body through weight training, catch and indoor batting exercises, and is now learning about Hanwha players at Hanwha Life Eagles Park, his new home ground. They were players I used to see often at baseball stadiums, but now we are on the same team, and we have to look just one team. They will meet each other anyway at the spring camp in Melbourne, Australia in February, but they have been sweating profusely since their inactive period.
"I am working out with (Chae) Eun-seong, (Jang) Si-hwan, (Jang) Hyun-sang, and (Ha) Ju-seok. Rather than talking about something special, we are getting closer by chatting with each other," An Chi-hong said. "I don't know because I haven't met many players yet. I'm looking forward to the spring camp when it comes to working out with new teammates."
Ahn Chi-hong was evaluated as an "exemplary student" in the first FA. Ahn Chi-hong, who left KIA in January 2020 and signed a contract with Lotte for up to 5.6 billion won for 2+2 years, agreed early on a two-year extension during the 2021 season, completing the four-year contract period. While playing 496 games as a key second baseman for Lotte for four years, he played with a batting average of 292 (511 hits in 1,751) 40 home runs, 257 RBIs, 187 walks, 210 strikeouts, and a .364 slugging percentage of .427 OPS .791.
Based on Sports2I, an official KBO record-keeping company, An Chi-hong has posted a WAR of 12.21 for four years. During the period, An Chi-hong was ranked second on WAR among second basemen following Kiwoom Kim Hye-sung (17.25), showing high contribution in offense and defense. He is a batter with high batting performance that he does not feel awkward wherever he puts the players from table setters one to two to center batting lines three to five. Hanwha, which has seen its batters rise and fall, desperately needed a batter like An Chi-hong who can consistently play his part.
Ahn Chi-hong, who led the team after taking the captaincy at Lotte last year, was also recognized for his leadership as a veteran player. He is quiet but heavy-handed when he says what he has to say, and he sets an example by his actions first. His sincerity was well-known since he was young. "He is a player with proven leadership. Many young players in our team will be able to learn from him," Hanwha said.
With Ahn Chi-hong's joining, the team also gave a big boost to the existing second basemen, Jung Eun-won, and Moon Hyun-bin, as well as established a competitive system. If Ahn Chi-hong keeps the second base, both players have to go to the outfield. If the two players show competitiveness, Ahn can share the first baseman position and designated hitter position with Chae Eun-sung. Moon also said, "I'm so glad that Ahn Chi-hong is here. If Chae Eun-sung was not here last year, he would not have been in the main league. He has received a lot of help from Ahn in terms of mindset and technology. "It is a great opportunity for Ahn to learn many things from Ahn Chi-hong," he said. "I am confident in my competition. I am confident."
Ahn Chi-hong also puts his team first. Although his individual performance at Lotte has been good for the past four years, his team has never made it to the postseason. "The goal of the new year is to achieve a team's performance. Personally, it's something that everyone says, but I'm going to play a season without injury," Ahn said, vowing to focus on healthy team performance.
BY: 토토