Song Seung-hwan (25), who was hailed as a top-class prospect in high school, finally announced his retirement after failing to realize his talent.
The professional baseball team NC Dinos officially announced on the 17th, "Outfielder Song Seung-hwan has decided to retire," adding, "Song Seung-hwan conveyed his intention to retire to the club on the 14th for personal reasons. The club has decided to respect the player's decision."
Song Seung-hwan was recognized for his hitting talent while at Seoul High School and was selected by the Doosan Bears with the 19th pick in the second round of the 2019 rookie draft. However, he felt the high wall of the first team and fulfilled his military service obligation by enlisting in August 2020, and even after his discharge in 2022 he failed to make a major turnaround. He remained at a .250 batting average in 11 games in the 2022 season and .229 in 30 games in the 2023 season.
Song Seung-hwan experienced his first transfer in his career after being selected by NC in the KBO second draft held in November 2023. The NC club expressed high expectations, saying a right-handed medium-to-long power hitter had joined the lineup, but Song Seung-hwan's potential again failed to reveal itself to the world.
Song Seung-hwan failed to meet the expectations of the NC club and fans, hitting .200 in three games in the 2024 season and .200 in 13 games in the 2025 season. His only notable performance this year was in the Futures League, where he played 56 games with a .318 batting average, six home runs and 36 RBIs.
Song Seung-hwan's career first-team record is 59 games, a .225 batting average (120 at-bats, 27 hits), one home run, 10 RBIs, 14 runs, a .308 slugging percentage and a .250 on-base percentage. As a result, the July 22 game against the Changwon KT Wiz became his retirement game.
According to the NC club, Song Seung-hwan plans to pursue a second career in baseball by undergoing coaching training in Japan.
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