“You won MVP with 200 hits, so why change it?”

This is what LG Twins coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said during the exhibition game against the Gwangju KIA Tigers on March 20th. Director Yeom Kyeong-yeop, who watched the Cinderella story of Seo Geon-chang (34) right next to him, couldn't help but feel sorry that his student, who rose to MVP, wandered around for so long.

The FA application has already been postponed twice. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop still believed that Seo Geon-chang was the right person for second base. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop, who knew the good process from moving from LG to Heroes to being selected as MVP, was confident. He told me about his good form from before. Coach Yeom Kyeong-yeop believes that Seo Geon-chang was defeated because he changed his form while trying to do better after becoming MVP with 201 hits in the 2014 season.

Still, Seo Geon-chang hit .300 for four consecutive years from 2016 to 2019. He was limited to 37 appearances in the 2018 season due to an unexpected injury, but rose like a roly-poly in 2019. However, in the 2020 season, he faltered with a batting average of 0.277, 5 home runs, 52 RBI, and an OPS of 0.776, and did not recover any further. After transferring to LG after completing the first half of the 2021 season, his production fell even further.

Since he belatedly tried to return to his old form, it must be said that things did not work out as he had hoped. The human body continues to change, and even if we wanted to go back to the past, it is not easy to replicate it perfectly. He must have been very stressed because he didn't get any results. It would have been difficult for LG to be with him any longer as they saw even their defense falter.

In the end, Seo Geon-chang reunited with coach Yeom Kyeong-yeop, but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. In 44 games, batting average 0.200, 12 RBI, OPS 0.542. LG won the championship for the first time in 29 years, but Seo Geon-chang was not the star. LG discovered a starting second baseman named Shin Min-jae.

Of course, Seo Geon-chang had no choice but to give up on applying for FA, and LG even gave up its right to withhold. Like Lee Jae-won (SSG Landers), he wanted to leave the club on his own. It should be seen as his intention to extend his active service. However, the value has fallen too much in the past 2-3 years. I have to spend the 2024 season as a 4th FA student, but will there be a team that will accept me? It seems like you will have to prepare for a drastic reduction in salary.

If you look at the 9 teams excluding LG, there are teams that need a second baseman. In the end, you have to bet on the possibility of Seo Geon-chang's resurrection. Will such a team emerge? Can Seo Geon-chang make a final major turnaround?