▲ New NC Dinos' outfielder Son Ah-seop poses for a photo after signing with the club on Dec. 24, 2021, in this photo provided by the Dinos. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ In this file photo from Oct. 13, 2021, Son Ah-seop of the Lotte Giants hits an RBI single against the LG Twins in the bottom of the sixth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

baseball-player

NC Dinos sign free agent outfielder Son Ah-seop to 4-yr deal

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- The NC Dinos inked free agent outfielder Son Ah-seop to a four-year contract Friday, flaunting their wealth in what has been a frenetic offseason in South Korean baseball.

The Dinos said Son agreed to a 6.4 billion-won (US$5.4 million) contract. The 33-year-old will make 3 billion won in total salary, 2.6 billion won in signing bonus and up to 800 million won in incentives.

Son has spent his entire 15-year career in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with the Lotte Giants, and will now take his talent from Busan just a bit west to Changwon, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Son is the second major free agent signing by the Dinos this month. On Dec. 14, they acquired outfielder Park Kun-woo on a six-year, 10 billion-won contract.

They lost their All-Star outfielder Na Sung-bum in free agency Thursday but, with Park and now Son, have brought in two of the league's top contact hitters.

With a .324 lifetime batting average, Son is fourth on the all-time list among hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances. He has hit .300 or better in 11 out of his 12 full seasons. He has won five Golden Gloves and became the fastest and the youngest player to reach the 2,000-hit plateau earlier this year.

Son's power numbers have dipped recently, though, as he managed just three home runs this year after hitting 11 in 2020, 10 in 2019 and a career-high 26 in 2018.

But with a career .400 on-base percentage, Son should be the catalyst at the top of the Dinos' lineup, the same role that he served with the Giants for over a decade.

"I am thrilled to be joining NC. I was sold on this team's vision of trying to win a championship every season," Son said. "It breaks my heart to leave the Giants, but I am confident I can tackle a new challenge."

Lim Sun-nam, the Dinos' general manager, said Son should be a perfect fit for the team thanks to his on-base skills and contact ability.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]