After changing his life through a trade, Son Ho-young (Lotte Giants) signed a contract worth over 100 million won and headed to spring training. He mentioned his changed status, saying, "Now opportunities come first to me," raising expectations for the 2025 season.
Son Ho-young, the starting third baseman for the Lotte Giants, returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport with his team after completing the second spring training camp in Miyazaki, Japan, on 5th.
Meeting at the airport, Son Ho-young said, "The most satisfying part is that I returned without injury. I took on a lot during the spring training, and I feel like I did well. We also did a lot of team play training," expressing his thoughts after finishing his first spring training with Lotte.
Son Ho-young, who showed outstanding batting last year with a .317 batting average, 18 home runs, and 78 RBIs in 102 games, focused this camp on improving his defensive skills. He explained, "I did the most defense during the camp. There were many mistakes in the early practice games, but I still thought positively, thinking, 'I did what I needed to do for the season here,' and paid a lot of attention to my defense.
In the batting part, experiencing the pitches of top Japanese pitchers was a significant help. Son Ho-young noted, "The Japanese pitchers' balls were really good. They were fast and had good control. Of course, there wasn't a huge difference compared to top Korean pitchers, but overall, Japanese pitchers were impressive. It was fortunate to see such pitches, and I definitely returned having improved a lot from Japan."
As a result of diligently going through the camp, Son Ho-young was honored to be selected as the MVP of the spring camp along with Jang Doo-seong. When asked about the secret, he replied, "I don’t know. Everything was a first. It was my first camp with Lotte, and it was my first time coordinating from the camp. I just did what I was told without much thought."
Son Ho-young, selected 23rd in the second round of the 2020 LG Twins draft, opened a new baseball life by trading to Lotte ahead of the 2024 season. He, who had been a perennial backup during his time with LG, quickly secured a spot in the Lotte cleanup trio with his powerful batting. He achieved a tie for third place in the all-time consecutive games with hits with 30 in the first half and was honored to be selected for his first All-Star game.
Thanks to his performance last year, Son Ho-young signed a contract for the 2025 season worth 125 million won, an increase of 177.8% from 45 million won. It was the moment he climbed onto the all-time salary chart for the first time.
How was the spring training with the starting title? Son Ho-young said, "It's not so much that being a starter is guaranteed; rather, it's that opportunities come to me first. I believe I get the chance to start before other players. There isn't any significant difference just because I'm a starter." He added, "There are many players on our team who can fill my spot even if I'm not there. I approached the camp with a competitive mindset."
When asked if Lotte could make it to the postseason this year, he nodded without hesitation. Son Ho-young said, "I think all players feel the same way as I do. I'm personally looking forward to it as we prepared well and came back." He noted, "Definitely, all players have gained confidence compared to last year. Last year, it felt like we were fighting fiercely day by day, but now we are finding ease and moving in a positive direction."
For Lotte to step onto the postseason stage for the first time in eight years since 2017, Son Ho-young must maintain the third base position throughout the year without injuries. He showed weaknesses in durability last year, suffering two hamstring injuries.
Son Ho-young stated, "I don't have any specific goals this year, but I want to endure well for a year. If I can survive day by day, I think I can make it through the year." He added, "My goal is to participate in more games than last year. If I can play all 144 games this year, I will do my best to play them all."
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