Why does Samsung really recruit Choi Hyung-woo? KIA's misjudgment and back-spin fan mentality

Dec 01, 2025

Why does Samsung really recruit Choi Hyung-woo? KIA's misjudgment and back-spin fan mentality
The KIA-Samsung match at Lions Park in Daegu on the 30th. When Oh Seung-hwan took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, Choi Hyung-woo comes out as a pinch hitter to greet. Daegu = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.30/



I missed everything, and even Choi Hyung-woo missed it. KIA Tigers' misjudgment and Samsung Lions' bold drive divided joy and sorrow.

Choi Hyung-woo's trip to Samsung is imminent. Choi Hyung-woo's future, which was not confirmed until last week, became likely to return to Samsung as Choi Hyung-woo made his decision after KIA threw its final offer on the 28th. The two sides are at a stage where only final coordination is left.

Since the news that Samsung had jumped into the recruitment of Choi Hyung-woo was reported, there have been many people in the baseball world who are actually leaning.




Of course, Choi Hyung-woo is a batting master who boasts the league's top accuracy even at the age of 40. It is unlikely that he will see a very large vertical drop in his skills next year. It is also true that Samsung completed the nuclear strike with his joining.

But as shown in this year's postseason, Samsung already has a lot of good resources. The coaches of other teams who watched the growth of Samsung's 20s hitters this season also said, `Samsung's young hitters are so good. He said, "He has excellent contact skills, and he has a lot of good resources."

Why does Samsung really recruit Choi Hyung-woo? KIA's misjudgment and back-spin fan mentality
The 4th semi-PO match between Samsung and SSG held at Daegu Lions Park on the 14th. Samsung players who advanced to the playoffs after catching SSG are delighted. Daegu = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.10.14/
In fact, the fact that he is competitive even at the age of 40 makes Choi Hyung-woo's value shine, but on the contrary, it is also true that there is a risk to bring him even while recruiting outside the FA from the team's long-term perspective. In addition to the guaranteed salary during the contract period, 1.5 billion won should be given as compensation, and it is also a cold fact that young players, including designated hitter roles, are relatively reduced in teams with many young and promising batters like Samsung. There will also be a change in how to use Koo Ja-wook, who was expected to play more designated hitters. It is also in context that Samsung has many existing left-handed hitters.




Nevertheless, Samsung's entry into the recruitment race by capturing the hearts of Choi Hyung-woo, who was disappointed by KIA, seems to have painted a big picture for next season while touching the fans' hearts. If it's another team, Choi Hyung-woo and Samsung have enough justification.

Why does Samsung really recruit Choi Hyung-woo? KIA's misjudgment and back-spin fan mentality
The 4th semi-PO match between Samsung and SSG held at Daegu Lions Park on the 14th. Samsung players who advanced to the playoffs after catching SSG are delighted. Daegu = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.10.14/
It is Choi Hyung-woo, who achieved a success story as a release player for Samsung and moved to KIA after reaching the top of Samsung. He was also a leading figure during the Samsung Dynasty. Samsung fans were disappointed by his remarks at the time of KIA's transfer, but now they seem to forget all that and sincerely welcome Choi Hyung-woo's return. This is also because it has a point that stimulates the nostalgia of fans.

It is hard to guarantee 100% of how much Choi Hyung-woo will perform next season right away. However, at least Samsung had a clear advantage in 'Chase Fight' ahead of next season. With the players' fighting spirit shown in the postseason this year, it is a kind of declaration that they will try to win the presidency next year as a team that is really ahead of the momentum. It stirred the heart of the fans.




Why does Samsung really recruit Choi Hyung-woo? KIA's misjudgment and back-spin fan mentality
A match between the KIA Tigers and the NC Dinos at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 27th. Lost KIA players are regretting. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.27/
On the contrary, KIA missed the team's key veteran hitter, who everyone predicted would be close to '0' until the FA market opened. It's shocking.

KIA, which missed Jang Hyun-sik, a must-win group, last year and had no outside FA recruitment, sent even its main shortstop Park Chan-ho away this year after failing to crack down on his multi-year contract in advance. Right now, we are faced with a difficulty that we cannot guarantee who the main shortstop will be next year. Han Seung-taek was also transferred, and Lee Joon-young was deprived of a key veteran who had won two integrated championships. It is a series of failures by the KIA Tigers. It is certainly a part of his pride that he failed to prevent his transfer to his former team.

Why does Samsung really recruit Choi Hyung-woo? KIA's misjudgment and back-spin fan mentality
The Hanwha-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 16th. Choi Hyung-woo is requesting time after hitting an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.9.16/
The KIA team clearly conveys the cold and cold message of 'strengthening' and 'no overpay', but it seems highly likely to be a misjudgment at a time when only talks about negotiations with Yang Hyun-jong are also squeaky.

With the integrated victory in 2024, KIA was the favorite again this year and the leading candidate next year. But not anymore. Coach Lee Bum-ho and the on-site coaching staff, who are in the midst of planning for the new season, are also losing their strength.

On top of that, fans also seem to have been quite shocked by the club's move that even Choi Hyung-woo missed. When rumors of Choi Hyung-woo's transfer to Samsung broke out last week, the shock was so great that KIA's fandom was almost turned upside down. And the aftermath is expected to get stronger as Choi Hyung-woo's mind did not turn to KIA's final offer and led to the actual transfer.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.