Choi Sang-min (24-SSG Landers), who was once touted to fill the gap left by “Kookdae” outfielder Choi Ji-hoon, has disappointed his club and fans.

On March 19, Choi received a 30-game suspension from the Korean Baseball Organization’s (KBO) punishment committee. The KBO explained, “Choi Sang-min was suspended for 30 games based on Article 151 [impairment of character] for his harsh behavior toward some players during a training break at SSG Field on June 6.”

The assault occurred at SSG’s enhanced SSG Futures Park, where the Future Team camp was set up, on June 6, when SSG was in the midst of a title fight. It went like this. Fourth-year outfielder Lee “Yoo” Yeon-yeon took issue with the attitude of 2023 rookie outfielder Kim “Gun-woong” Kim and gathered the juniors for a lunchtime group punching. Seven-year pitcher Lee Won-jun assaulted Kim Geon-woong with a bat, and Choi Sang-min organized another group hazing.

“Lee Won-jun, Lee Ga-yeon, and Choi Sang-min engaged in harsh behavior toward some players during a training break, and Lee Won-jun additionally assaulted a player’s thigh with a baseball bat twice,” the KBO announced. Lee Won-jun, who was placed on SSG’s waiver list on the 13th, was suspended for 72 games, and Lee Eo-yeon was suspended for 30 games along with Choi Sang-min.

Choi Sang-min, a native of Bukil High School, entered the professional ranks in 2018 as a developmental player for the SK Wyverns (now SSG). His path to the first team was a tough one. After failing to make much of an impact after joining the club, he fulfilled his military obligation by enlisting as an active artilleryman, and finally got his dream first-team call-up on April 29 last year against Doosan, but ended his debut season with a meager 7-for-1 record in 27 games.

Included in the opening roster for the 2023 season, Choi finally got his chance after bouncing around the bench due to an injury to starting center fielder Choi Ji-hoon. With Choi injuring his ankle while rushing home against the Incheon Doosan on April 28, Choi came off the bench to record his first hit and first run of the season, and the next day, with Choi’s dismissal from the first team, Choi took over the starting center field and had the game of his life, going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. With two hits in one day, it was no wonder he was labeled the game of his life, as he had only two hits in his professional career.

Choi Sang-min’s interview was also a hot topic at the time. “I worked hard to prepare, thinking that my chance would come one day,” he said. There were times when I was tired and exhausted, but I persevered with the thought of doing a little more, and I was able to come this far because the coaches of the second team held my heart,” he said, impressing baseball fans.

Choi was a backup outfielder in the first team until he was released on March 29, giving him time to rebuild in Ganghwa. He went 2-for-6 with a home run and an RBI against LG in the Futures League on Feb. 2, but four days later, he was banned from the organization for harsh behavior. The next day, on July 7 against Goyang, Choi casually hit a double, walked, and stole a base.

“If anyone else gets injured or needs to be adjusted, I will go out and fill the gap,” Choi said to the press. That’s my goal for this season,” he said of his super backup. However, he was disciplined for his shockingly harsh behavior and was banned from both the first and second teams.온라인바카라

Meanwhile, after three years of violence in the second team, SSG said, “We will establish the ‘Pledge to Eradicate Dignity’ system and sign it every year at the time of signing the contract, and use it as an opportunity to renew the mindset of the players themselves. We will also operate a pre-reporting system for the players’ own communication meetings to ensure that the purpose, location, and time of the meetings are not violated. Once again, we sincerely apologize to our fans, and we will learn from this incident and strive to grow into an SSG that is loved by our fans,” he said, revealing measures to prevent recurrence.