(TGN) In 2021, the younger KBO League greets baseball fans. The average annual salary also declined significantly. Each club’s development stance accelerated, and the average age was 27.1 years old. The average annual leave also decreased from 8.4 years in 2020 to 8.1 years this year.
According to the registration status of 2021 KBO league players announced by KBO on Thursday 4th, the average annual salary of 532 players (excluding rookies and foreign players) from 10 clubs was 12,273 million won, which was 144.48 million won last year. It decreased by a whopping 15.1%. In terms of the total annual salary, it decreased by about 8.6 billion won to 6,290 billion won, from 73.9 billion won last year.
It is analyzed that a number of high-paid players retired from the end of last season, and a phenomenon that appeared as the stance of each club’s squad management shifted to rebuilding through internal training.
The average annual salary for players in the KBO League exceeded 150 million won for the first time in 2018. Since then, after reaching a record high of 15,065 million won in 2019, it continued to decline for the second consecutive year following 2020.
▲ SK average annual salary rose 20.3% year-on-year to 174.2 million won, recording the highest amount and increase rate among 10 clubs.
SK, with a total of 56 players registered, recorded the highest average annual salary among 10 clubs with an average annual salary of the team (excluding foreign players and rookie players) of 174.2 million won. In addition, it was counted as the highest increase rate, an increase of 20.3% from 144.8 million won last year.
On the other hand, last year’s KBO league championship NC, followed SK with 144.89 million won. KT succeeded in advancing into the postseason for the first time in the history of the team and recorded an increase rate (6.7%), the only one with SK.
▲ SK Choo Shin-soo, the highest annual salary in the KBO League, a new record of KRW 2.7 billion… The pitcher is Samsung Oh Seung-hwan
Looking at the player’s individual annual salary, SK Choo Shin-soo, who entered the KBO League, completed the contract with an annual salary of 2.7 billion won, and was registered as the highest annual salary player in the KBO league. After that, NC Yang Eui-ji and Kiwoom Park Byeong-ho ranked second with 1.5 billion won. Samsung Oh Seung-hwan ranked first in this year’s highest pitcher salary category with 1.1 billion won.
Lotte Lee Dae-ho, who maintained the highest annual salary for the past four years with an annual salary of 2.5 billion won with a free agency contract in 2017, gave the highest annual salary position for the first time since returning to Korea. In addition, Yang Hyun-jong, who was ranked No. 1 in the pitching division’s annual salary for the past two years with 2.3 billion won, also entered the US stage, and the pitching division changed to a new face.
▲ Breaking new record for the highest annual salary for 3 consecutive years after resignation
Kiwoom Lee Jeong-hoo, who has risen as a’young star’ of the KBO League, has signed a contract for 50,000 million won in the fifth year of this season. With this, Lee Jung-hoo easily surpassed the previous high of 322 million won in 2018, recorded by his teammate Kim Ha-sung. Lee Jung-hoo is making a sensation of setting a new record by breaking each of the highest annual salaries for three consecutive years from 2019, which is the third year, to this year.
▲ KT’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2020 increased 418.5% compared to last year, recording the highest rate this season
KT Sohn Joon, who won the Rookie Award for his outstanding performance in 2020, achieved the highest increase rate this season by signing for 140 million won, a whopping 418.5% jump from the minimum annual salary of 27 million won. The increase rate of 418.5% was recorded as the second highest increase rate ever after SK Ha Jaehoon’s 455.6% in 2020. Sohn, Joon Sohn, who entered his first billion-year salary in his life, exceeded the highest annual salary of 120 million won for the second year recorded by the same team senior KT Baek-ho Kang in 2019.
▲ 161 players with a billion-year salary, the third record
In this year’s KBO League, 161 players who earned more than 100 million won in annual salary were registered. In 2018, 164 players had the highest number of players with an annual salary of 100 million, followed by 163 in 2017, followed by 2020 and this year, making it the third tie record ever.
▲ The oldest registered player Lotte Song Seung-jun, the youngest player Hanwha Jung Min-gyu
The oldest player in the 2021 KBO League was Lotte Song Seung-joon, who was 40 years old, 7 months and 3 days as of the time of registration. The youngest player was Hanwha’s rookie Jung Min-gyu, who was registered at the age of 18 years and 22 days. The average height and weight of all KBO league-registered players were 182.6cm and 86.8kg, respectively, down slightly from 183cm and 87.5kg last year.
The 2021 KBO League meets baseball fans first through a demonstration game that will be held from March 20th. The regular season kicks off on April 3 and ends the 720-match campaign.
[뉴스출처 : KBO]