“I’ll do it if you want me to, but it’s difficult right now. I don’t know the team atmosphere and the players’ personalities. It would be good to try it for a year or so.”

These were the words of Hanwha Eagles’ main batsman Chae Eun-sung, 33, in an interview with Sports Chosun last December.

The interview was titled “Han Hwa asks, Chae Eun-sung answers,” and the questions were asked by teammates. When her teammate Choi Jae-hoon (34) asked her, “If you were to become captain, how would you lead the team?” Chae Eun-sung was stumped.

It was inevitable. She joined the LG Twins as a developmental player in 2009 and has been with the team for 14 years. Even with such a wide range of relationships, it’s hard to know the ins and outs of other teams. In any case, the fact that a player who had just joined the team was considered for the captaincy must have come with high expectations.

Chae Eun-sung, who became a free agent (FA) from LG, moved to Hanwha late last year. Six years, 9 billion won, and a jackpot. The team’s most veteran player, Jung Woo-ram (38), was the captain, and Chae Eun-sung was the beast under him.

Chae Eun-sung, in her second year with Hanwha, took the captaincy as promised. 카지노사이트넷 She was named captain at a team meeting prior to the Eagle’s Day event for fans on March 3.

The captaincy has changed frequently over the past few years.

In 2021, Noh Soo-kwang (33) relinquished the captaincy in June during the season. Ha Ju-seok (29) took over the baton. Ha had his share of twists and turns. In June 2022, his first-team registration was revoked after he used harsh language while protesting the strike zone in Kusim. Jang Min-jae (33) led the team as interim captain.

With this year’s captain, Jung Woo-ram, leaving to become a playing coach, Chae Eun-sung is the natural successor. She is the fifth captain since 2021.

“When you become a veteran, you have to play baseball unconditionally well, so you can take care of the juniors. I’m the best in the outfield, but it’s hard to do that while being good at baseball.”

There must have been a lot of pressure in your first year with a big contract. It must have been a lot of responsibility because everyone was looking to him to be the center fielder.

Hanwha hasn’t finished higher than ninth or 10th in the last five seasons.

They are on the cusp of a turnaround. After signing outfielders Chae Eun-sung and Oh Sun-jin last year, they recently added infielder Ahn Chi-hong. The team has spent a total of 7.2 billion won over 4+2 years to strengthen its batting lineup.

2024 is the season when Hanwha will need to lay the foundation for its rise to the top. The team is focusing on the opening of a new home stadium in 2025. At this crucial time, Chae Eun-sung has become the “leader” of the team.

It’s a lot of pressure, but the captaincy could be a powerful motivator.

“It’s time for me to be captain,” Chae said when we met on the third day.

He played in 37 games this season, batting 2-for-6 with 137 hits, 23 home runs, and 84 RBIs. 사설토토 It was his first 20-homer season in five years and his fourth straight year with 80 or more RBIs.