Leaving the KT team they have come to love during the stove league, Sim Woo-jun faces his former team, KT, starting from the season opener.
Hanwha Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon assembled the starting lineup of Kim Tae-yeon (left fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Estevan Florial (center fielder), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Chae Eun-sung (first baseman), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman), Lim Jong-chan (right fielder), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop) ahead of the opener against KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League on the 22nd at Suwon KT Wiz Park.
Sim Woo-jun’s placement in the ninth spot stands out. After finishing the 2024 season, Sim Woo-jun exercised his first free agent rights and signed a contract with Hanwha on December 7 worth up to 5 billion won (guaranteed 4.2 billion won, option 800 million won) for four years. It was the moment when the first transfer of a 10-year Wiz member, who joined as part of the inaugural KT roster in 2014, was realized. Coincidentally, he starts his role as the ninth batter facing his former team from the season opener.
Before the game, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol noted, “There are aspects I didn’t realize when I was with Sim Woo-jun that I need to experience now. He said he feels stressed out when Sim Woo-jun gets on base with another team, but I think we will feel stressed too when he goes out. Isn’t he fast?” as he expressed caution about his former player.
Sim Woo-jun plans to use his speed to trouble his old teammates and coach. When Sim Woo-jun was approached after meeting with Lee Kang-cheol in the third base dugout, he laughed and shared, “I went to Coach Lee before the game, but he just shook my hand without saying anything.” He added, “I will make sure he experiences the stress firsthand. I have the desire to show him the things I couldn’t express when I was there.”
He continued, “I plan to shake up (Jang) Sung-woo a lot. The KT pitchers tend to be a bit slow with their quick motions. Of course, the slowest player is (Eom) Sang-baek,” he laughed. “(Kang) Baek-ho said that if he sits as a catcher, he will catch everything without fail, so I told him to try catching me once.”
On that day, Sim Woo-jun plans to take off his helmet and greet the loyal KT fans during his first at-bat. He decided to greet them in the order of first base, center field, and third base. Sim Woo-jun said, “It seems appropriate to greet first starting from first base. I’m a bit worried about the pitch clock, but I think the umpire will be understanding. Maybe (Jang) Sung-woo will also tell me to greet first. After greeting, I think it will hit me that I have come to Hanwha.”
When asked about his goals for the first year of his free agency contract, he said, “I want to help the team Hanwha rise to greater heights. Since the manager has recognized my contribution, I will do my best to ensure that I can hear that Hanwha has become much more stable in defense and base running. My goal is to play a full-time season with 144 games.”
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