The SK Wyverns once enjoyed one of the most remarkable stretches in Korea Baseball Organization’s history, making the championship Korean Series a record six consecutive years starting in 2007 and winning three titles in that span.
The streak was snapped last year, when they failed to even reach the postseason. In 2014, they’re trying to begin a new streak, led mostly by players who might leave them after the season.
The Wyverns are sitting pretty in first place in the young season at 6-2 prior to Tuesday’s games. They have won four straight, with their red-hot offense carrying the team.
The lineup has exploded for 81 hits, 61 runs and a .300 average, all tops in the KBO. Individually, new leadoff man Kim Kang-min leads the league with 10 runs scored. From the No. 2 spot, Cho Dong-hwa is batting .333 with 7 RBIs.
Third baseman Choi Jeong, slowed by the flu at the start of the season, has driven in a run in four consecutive games and is batting .355.
Park Jung-kwon, who can play first and the outfield, leads the league with 9 RBIs, and teammate and second baseman Na Ju-hwan is right behind him with 8 RBIs. Even the little-heralded infielder Kim Sung-hyun is doing some damage, having knocked in six while batting .300.
And most of their offensive heroes so far have some self-interested financial reasons to perform at a high level this year, for they could be eligible for free agency after the season.
SK second baseman Na Ju-hwan (Yonhap)
In the KBO, a player who joined the league out of high school must put in an equivalent of eight full seasons to be eligible for free agency; the term is nine full seasons for those who graduated from four-year universities. The Wyverns have eight players who, if they stay healthy and play enough games, will be eligible after this season.
Their entire starting outfield ― left fielder Park Jae-sang, 31, center fielder Kim Kang-min, 31, and right fielder Cho Dong-hwa, 33 ― will be in line for free agency after this season.
Third baseman Choi, a perennial MVP candidate and a Golden Glove threat at age 27, may attract offers from overseas clubs. Na Ju-hwan, a natural shortstop who will turn 30 in June, is playing out of position at second base this year, but he likely won’t mind it as long as he can set himself up for a big pay day.
It’s a common belief among fans, pundits and team executives that players tend to perform better in their so-called “contract years” or “walk years,” the final season before becoming free agents. Players probably don’t need reminders that they will be able to parlay big numbers in their contract seasons into lucrative free agent deals. One productive year, and they could be set for life. (Yonhap)