Seo Ho-cheol (28), who was NC’s ‘surprise star’ last year, continued to play his role this season. He appeared in 141 games and recorded a batting average of 0.285 and an OPS of 0.735. With 10 home runs, he also recorded double-digit home runs in two full-time seasons. Nevertheless, the reason why there remains some regret is that this year was the first ‘ride-and-run’ season in recent years. It was pointed out that the performance was relatively poor as there were quite a few hitters who improved their performance by a large margin. It was also unfortunate that I wasn’t particularly lucky with the scoring rights.
Seo Ho-cheol, who is training at the Changwon NC Park finishing camp, said, “The most disappointing thing was not being able to play my role properly in the scoring zone.” This season’s scoring average was 0.243, which was lower than the overall season record. Last year, the scoring range was slightly better at 0.294, compared to 0.287 before the season. There were also a lot of double plays. The number increased from 9 last year to 15 this year. Unless you are the ‘God of Batting’, you cannot avoid a double play of your own volition. Even if you hit a well-hit ball, if it goes in front of the fielder, you are bound to end up in a double play. Seo Ho-cheol said, “I was stressed when double plays kept coming in the beginning, but as I kept hitting them, I actually felt more at ease. Later, I just went in with the idea of making equally good batted balls at the plate.”
Seo Ho-cheol’s first task as he prepares for next year’s season is to lose weight. His weight, which was maintained at around 86kg last year, was intentionally increased ahead of this season. I put a lot of sweat into weight training. I played this season between 88kg and 90kg. The idea was to make a more powerful swing. Looking back, I was over the appropriate weight. Seo Ho-cheol said, “I think 85 to 87 kg is best. “When I lost some weight at the end of the season, I felt like my body was just right for me,” he said. The plan is to prepare for the season in optimal condition by losing weight little by little during the off-season while maintaining muscles. I also kept in mind that I would have more work to do as a second baseman next season. With Kim Hwi-jip transferring in the middle of this season, the infield competition has become even more intense.
Last year, Seo Ho-cheol attracted attention by raising his batting performance to first place in the entire league. And even more than that, he became a hot topic for his monk-like management of his private life and unique fighting spirit. He stood close inside the batter’s box, took a step forward, and faced the opposing pitcher head-on. Although he suffered two headshot injuries from balls on his body, he did not step aside.
Seo Ho-cheol said, “I have a bit of a fear of heights, so I’m not good at riding roller coasters or biking rides, but there’s nothing scary about the baseball stadium. “I’m really not scared of body balls,” he said. The scary thing is not the ball, but the injury. Seo Ho-cheol injured his ankle ligaments when he stepped on the stairs incorrectly while returning to the dugout after making a successful sacrifice bunt last year. Seo Ho-cheol said, “After that, I really walk carefully, looking down below.”
This year, NC finished the season in 9th place. It also recorded 11 consecutive losses, the most since its founding. The atmosphere in the dugout naturally became despondent. Park Min-woo, who took over as captain during the season due to Son Ah-seop’s injury, left a bitter note to his juniors, saying, “The team culture is not like it was when it was first founded.” Seo Ho-cheol also thinks the same way. He said, “I think Minwoo is right. Each player may feel bad if his performance is not good, but that has to be resolved behind the scenes at the baseball field. “As long as I’m on the baseball field, I have to think about the team first,” he said. He added, “Since I am not young here at the finishing camp, I will try to create a more noisy atmosphere by training with my younger brothers.”
Starting as a 9th round pick and starting his career in earnest last year along with his career as the ‘Futures Batting King’, Seo Ho-cheol’s name has always been preceded by modifiers such as ‘weeds’, ‘fighting spirit’ and ‘guts’. It was because of the play that did not spare one’s body. That was why he was already being evaluated as the ‘next captain’ within the team. NC is preparing for a counterattack in the new season with the appointment of new coach Lee Ho-jun. The same goes for Seo Ho-cheol.
