I wish it was a 'win-win'"

"My goal is to do well as I do well in the team. If I gain experience, I think I can advance to the round of five or more. I hope we can win together."

Lee Jae-won, who is seeking a comeback in the Hanwha Eagles, expressed his sluggish determination.

Lee Jae-won, who was called by the SK Wyverns (now the SSG Landers) for the first nomination in 2006, is a right-handed catcher. He has been active only in SSG until the 2023 season, and has a batting average of 0.278 (1,087 hits in 3,913 times at bat) with 108 homers and 612 RBIs in 1,426 games

Lee Jae-won has been prominent in earnest since the mid-2010s. Starting with 12 homers in the 2014 season, Lee continued his double-digit arch for three consecutive seasons through the 2016 season. He had only nine homers in the 2017 season, but continued his performance by posting 17 homers in the 2018 season and 12 homers in the 2019 season. Notably, he contributed to SK's victory in the Korean Series in the 2018 season.

Lee Jae-won, who enjoyed the victory at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, was happy to win the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. However, a terrible slump has come to him since 2020. He only posted a batting average of 0.185 (41 hits in 222 times at bat) with two homers and 21 RBIs in 80 games in the year.

Since then, Lee Jae-won seemed to rebound to a batting average of 0.280 (76 hits in 271 at-bats) in the 2021 season, but he bowed his head again with a batting average of 0.201 four home runs and 28 RBIs in the 2022 season. He then appeared in only 27 games in the 2023 season, recording a batting average of 0.091 (4 hits in 44 at-bats).

Lee Jae-won, whom I met recently, said, "There is no other reason for last year's performance. I couldn't play because I was sluggish. It's something I have to fully accept."

Lee could not afford to have more opportunities in the SSG. However, Lee Jae-won displayed strong commitment to extend his mandatory military service. After the season, Lee Jae-won demanded SSG release him, and SSG also accepted his request, ending his 18-year companionship. Hanwha's radar system, which was aiming to become a veteran hitter, caught him, and Hanwha and Lee Jae-won joined hands at an annual salary of 50 million won (approx.

"If I was sick or unwell, I thought I would stop here, but I was fine. I thought I should do my best until the end," Lee Jae-won said. "My family's strength was also great. We discussed a lot, but they supported me. Even though it was hard, he supported me by saying, 'Experience big and take a new path.'"

"I wanted to play more baseball. (Hanwha) was also a team that I wanted to come to. I was really grateful that they invited me," she added.

What kind of team was Hanwha that Lee Jae-won watched from the outside? "I was curious. I thought I would get a good result, but why not?" he said. "Since there are many good young players, I think that if we work together with senior players, we can advance to the round of 5 or higher."

Hanwha has many close relationships with Lee Jae-won including Kim Kang-min, who recently moved from SSG, Lee Tae-yang and Lee Myung-ki. "I thought Lee Myung-ki would be the best player in my team, but this happened," Lee said of Kim Kang-min with a smile. "I like him. I think he will have no problem adjusting to the team. I am fortunate."

"I have close friends and seniors," he continued. "Captain (Chae) Eun-sung also offered me a lot of advice, asking me to do it with him. I'm looking forward to it. I'm not close at all (with Chae), but I'm grateful that he contacted me first."

Hanwha is full of young and promising pitchers including Moon Dong-ju, who has established himself as national team ace, Kim Seo-hyun, and Hwang Jun-seo, the No. 1 rookie in 2024. "We cannot ignore (Lee Jae-won's) experience. We have played many post-season games and have different leads depending on how many years a pitcher has played. We can use it as a pinch-hitter card. Something is different for a person in desperate need," Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho, who welcomed Lee's joining, said, "When a young pitcher such as Hwang Jun-seo takes the mound, we can pair him (with Lee Jae-won)."

"I will do my best as much as you look forward to it," Lee Jae-won said. "I have high expectations as there are so many good pitchers. Good performance comes when a pitcher is in good shape. I think young pitchers gain experience and become the main players for the team, which is ideal for the team," he said. "There are some (Moon) Dong-ju and others (Hwang) Jun-seo. There are many fast pitchers in the middle. I want to talk to them while receiving a lot."

Finally, Lee Jae-won said, "My goal is to do well and the team is good. I think I can go to the semifinals or higher if I gain experience. I think I should look up high and play baseball. I hope we can go to camp together, experience it, prepare well for the season, and win-win together."

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-won is scheduled to play on the ground with his back number 32 this season.    안전놀이터