Former professional baseball outfielder Ahn Kwon-soo, a third-generation Korean resident in Japan who played for the Doosan Bears and the Lotte Giants, visited the Miyazaki spring camp site in Japan to cheer on his former teammates.
Doosan and Lotte are conducting their second spring camp in Miyazaki, Japan. A welcome guest appeared at the site: outfielder Ahn Kwon-soo (33), who once won the hearts of many professional baseball fans with his gritty play.
On Feb. 26, Ahn Kwon-soo watched the rivalry game between Doosan and Lotte, and on the 27th he visited the game between Doosan and the Chiba Lotte Marines. Due to severe weather, officials declared a no game because of rain in the third inning on the 26th and then canceled the game entirely on the 27th, but Ahn Kwon-soo even visited the indoor training facility to greet Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung and shared a warm embrace with Jung Soo-bin, among other heartfelt reunions.
At the site, Ahn Kwon-soo surprised fans with an update: "These days I run a lesson center around Saitama in Japan. I mainly coach elite players from fifth-grade elementary students through high school students."
He also explained why he visited the spring camp training site on consecutive days. Ahn Kwon-soo said, "I was disappointed that the Doosan-Lotte game was rained out during the match. I know some players on Chiba Lotte too, so I went to the Doosan-Chiba Lotte game, but it rained again," he said ruefully, adding, "I feel so good seeing the faces of Doosan and Lotte players after a long time. Especially the young players look physically much better than when I was around. I have high expectations."
When asked which player stood out most, he immediately mentioned Doosan outfielder Kim Min-seok. Having shared a clubhouse with Kim Min-seok at Lotte in 2023, Ahn Kwon-soo evaluated, "Min-seok did very well as a rookie, but his results dipped a bit after that. But seeing him this time, his hitting has really improved."
Ahn Kwon-soo also boasted a long friendship with Tamura Ichiro, who joined Doosan under the Asian quota. Tamura's wife was a senior of Ahn Kwon-soo from elementary and middle school. Ahn Kwon-soo said, "I saw Tamura this time and we ate together," and predicted success, saying, "I have a feeling he will do well in Korea. He seems brighter in personality than before and plays baseball with a brighter approach. His skills also look decent."
Did seeing his old teammates make him want to return to active play? Ahn Kwon-soo smiled brightly and said, "My elbow is in better condition than when I was active, so sometimes I feel like I want to play again, but physically it would be tough."
Finally, Ahn Kwon-soo left a sincere message of support: "I hope both Doosan and Lotte do well this year. I hope they finish spring camp well and everyone posts good results without injuries."
Ahn Kwon-soo is a third-generation Korean resident in Japan and a baseball player. A graduate of Waseda University in Japan, he played in Japan's independent leagues and corporate leagues before pursuing his professional dream in the "land of his grandfather" by auditioning at the 2020 KBO rookie draft tryout held in August 2019. He was then selected by Doosan at the rookie draft in the 10th round, overall 99th pick.
Ahn Kwon-soo, who played for Doosan from 2020 through 2022, moved to Lotte in 2023 and spent his final KBO League season there. His four-season career totals are 326 games, a .278 batting average, 163 hits, 2 home runs, 56 RBIs, 112 runs, 24 steals, a .324 slugging percentage and a .346 on-base percentage.
[OSEN]