"I want to be on the podium with Hong Chang-ki (32, LG Twins) one more time."
In the 2016 rookie draft held 10 years ago, Cho was the fifth-ranked player in the first round and wore the Doosan Bears uniform. He was the fastest among college graduates except for those nominated by his affiliation. It is thanks to Junjok, who recorded 92 steals in 90 games in his four years at Konkuk University.
He was not the most advanced in his career. At Doosan, where his batting skills were poor and his outfield players were thick, Cho's role was only as a pinch runner and a defense. He also stole 20 bases for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, but no season in the first team had more than 250 at-bats for eight years.
Cho's flagship performance shone last year, the ninth year of his career. Having played 382 at-bats in 130 games, his personal record, he posted a batting average of 0.265 87 hits and an on-base percentage of 0.334. His chances of stealing increased from 96 times in 2022 and 118 times in 2023 to 137, and as a result, he stole 64 bases (eight failed bases). His 64 steals is the highest in the history of the club and the joint seventh in the history of the KBO league. His annual salary, which was 95 million won, jumped to 200 million won this year.
"It feels a bit strange to get paid hundreds of millions of dollars for the first time. It's amazing that something that I always thought about since I was young has come true," Cho said in a phone interview with this newspaper. "I was thinking about when I should play as a backup every season, but I broke the record in 2024. It has been a very difficult and pleasant year."
Cho Sang-soo took the podium at the KBO Awards on November 26th, when he won the stolen base award, and said, "My father passed away a year ago. I think my father is here, and I think this award was given to me by my father."
"My father was always by my side from the time I started playing baseball until college," Cho recalled. "I remember he came to see the training every day, and he brought firewood to the training ground in the winter. He followed me anywhere in the country whenever I played games. Even after my debut as a pro, he always watched my games on TV," Cho recalled. "I felt like my father in heaven was helping me when baseball was going well this year."
He also thanked Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop, who trusted him. Since his inauguration in 2023, Lee has consistently given Cho an opportunity to play, calling him a "player with batting skills." "I was always told since I was young that 'you're the starting player if you get a hit, but you're not good enough,'" Cho said. "However, the coach told me a lot of different things after I came here. The fact that he said, 'You can do it' gave me strength. Encouragement really gave me a boost."
Another person who motivates Cho is Hong Chang-ki, who was a colleague of Konkuk University. When Hong made his professional debut, he was ranked second in the list of nominees (LG's third round, 27th overall) than Cho. However, he grew faster in the professional league. Hong, who took the lead by posting a batting average of 0.279 in 135 games in 2020, has grown into a national outfielder who has won three on-base percentage titles over the next four years. Hong's annual salary already reached 510 million won last year.
Cho is most likely to become a free agent after next season 메이저놀이터. He does not set empty goals for making a big hit. "It's a competition every year. I never thought I was the main player. There are more young players in the team. The FA is coming up, but the first thing to do is not to get hurt. I think he will give me a good evaluation only when I take advantage of my strengths."
Instead, he said, "I want to stand on the podium again. I want to be with my friend." "I don't particularly aim at setting a record. However, after receiving an award (with Hong Chang-ki, the on-base percentage king) at the KBO award ceremony, I thought, "I wish I could have this opportunity again," he said. "Still, the most promising thing for me is stealing the honor. I want to go to the award ceremony with Chang-ki again in 2025.