SSG veteran infielder Kim Sung-hyun (37) signed a multi-year contract. After signing a one-year deal in his first free agency, he waived his second free agency and accepted a multi-year offer. He showed his loyalty to SSG once again.

SSG announced on the 19th that they signed Kim Sung-hyun to a multi-year contract with a three-year term and a total of 600 million won. He extended his contract with SSG until 2026 with a fully guaranteed amount of 600 million won. Kim, who joined SK in 2006 with the 20th overall pick in the third round of the second draft from Gwangju Ilgo, is now guaranteed to be a one-club man for 21 years.

Kim was originally eligible for a second free agency after this season. If he performed well this year, he could have gotten a market evaluation in his second free agency, but he decided against it and stayed with SSG.

Kim Sung-hyun also made a quick decision in his first free agency. 안전놀이터 On December 1, 2020, he signed a 2+1 year contract with SK for a total of 1.1 billion won (200 million won down payment, 250 million won in salary in 2021, 200 million won in 2022, 150 million won in 2023, and 300 million won in options) to stay with the team.

He was the first of the 16 players who exercised their free agency rights at the time.

He didn’t waste any time and decided to sign on the third day of free agency, and the club honored him by holding a signing ceremony. At the time, Kim Sung-hyun said, “The club paid a lot of attention to me even before the contract. They negotiated with me first and held an FA signing ceremony. He also instilled in me the pride of being the first FA signing. From the beginning, I didn’t think about other teams,” he said, showing his loyalty to the team.

In his three years as a free agent, Kim played in 352 games, batting .254 (216-for-849) with nine home runs, 101 RBI, 101 runs scored, 89 walks and 101 strikeouts for a .324 on-base percentage, .333 slugging percentage and .657 OPS. It’s not a stellar batting performance, but he was decisive in the clutch with 14 extra-base hits, including four walk-offs in that span. Defensively, he was a multi-position player, playing shortstop and third base in addition to his primary position at second base.

He was a solid presence on both sides of the ball and showed his free agent value.

Although he’s heading into his late 30s, Kim Sung-hyun’s role at SSG’s second base has grown with the loss of Choi Joo-hwan (Kiwoom) and Choi Hang (Lotte) in the second round of the draft. He competes with younger infielders like Choi Jun-woo (25) and Ahn Sang-hyun (27) for the starting second base job, giving him time to develop.

SSG has recognized Kim’s value as an infield force and his contributions to the team over the course of 18 years. He’s not a flashy star player, but he’s been salt in the wound where the team needs him. For SSG, which was bombarded with attention this winter after losing 23-year franchise star Kim Kang-min (Hanwha) overnight in the second round of the draft and made noise in the process of re-signing internal free agent Kim Min-sik, the move is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Kim Sung-hyun also made a reasonable decision.

In the first round of free agency, he was in a narrow window of opportunity because he was an A-rated player, and rather than wait for the market to evaluate him, he accepted the first offer from the original team and won a contract worth up to 1.1 billion won. His second free agency was also a B-grade with a compensatory player, and his market value was not high considering his age. He was unlikely to get more than the three-year, 600 million won deal he signed this time. Through self-objectification, Kim Sung-hyun earned up to 1.7 billion won in free agency and multi-year contracts, solidifying his position as an SSG one-club man.

Kim has played all 1492 games of his 16-season career with SK-SSG from 2006 to 2023, excluding his military service with the Commerce, batting .271 (4027-for-1092) with 44 home runs, 430 RBI, 523 runs scored, 362 walks, 431 strikeouts, a .336 on-base percentage, .353 slugging percentage, and a .689 OPS. He has been a first-team backup since 2012 and jumped to the starting shortstop in 2014. In 2016, when he moved to second base, 안전한 파워볼사이트 he hit over triple digits (.319) for the first time in his career. Since then, he has played more and more at second base, but he has also played shortstop and third base, anchoring the SSG infield in all weathers.

After signing, Kim Sung-hyun said through the club, “I am grateful to the club for being the first to offer me a multi-year contract. I’m happy to continue my career with SSG, which I’ve been with for a long time. As the team expects the role of a veteran, I will do my best to achieve good results with the juniors in the future.”