I came to the pros after being selected as a low-ranking player, and it wasn't easy to get a starting position. But now he has become someone's idol. This is the story of NC Dinos infielder Seo Ho-cheol (27).

 

Seo Ho-cheol, who joined NC with the 87th pick in the 2nd round, 9th round in 2019 after graduating from Hyocheon High School and Dongeui University in Suncheon, had his best season in four years. Appearing in 114 first-team games, he had a batting average of 0.287 (114 hits in 435 at-bats), 5 home runs, 41 RBIs, 50 runs, 4 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.331, a slugging percentage of 0.383, and an OPS of 0.714.

 

Seo Ho-cheol, who started the season as a backup, took over the starting position amid the successive injuries of second baseman Park Min-woo and third baseman Park Seok-min. After being fixed at the third baseman position, he once ranked first in batting in mid-June and hit hard. As the season progressed, his batting performance declined, but he maintained his place in the infield and continued to play soundly.  토토

 

Seo Ho-cheol's true value came in the postseason. In the first game of the wild card game against the Doosan Bears, he showed off his outstanding performance with 3 hits and 6 RBIs in 4 at bats, including a comeback grand slam in the 4th inning. Then, in the semi-playoff match against SSG Landers, he contributed to the team's 3-game sweep with 4 hits and 3 RBIs in 10 at-bats. Although he performed poorly in the 5 playoff games against KT Wiz with 1 hit in 18 at-bats, the role of Seo Ho-cheol cannot be ignored in NC's ability to defy expectations and come close to advancing to the Korean Series.

 

In particular, it was surprising that despite suffering from injuries throughout the season, he got up and came back like a roly-poly. Seo Ho-cheol, who left the team after being hit on the head by a pitch in mid-April, later suffered a fractured nose and damaged finger ligaments. Just before the start of the postseason, an ankle ligament was damaged in the dugout. However, even though he was not in normal physical condition, he played with grit and performed well in the fall baseball season.

 

NC coach Kang In-kwon (51) met with Star News after the season and said, "(Seo) Ho-cheol has had good qualities since he was an amateur. However, not everyone knew about it because he had no role after going pro." He evaluated, “He showed his best.” After joining the pro ranks, he only showed promise, including becoming the Futures League batting champion (2021), but has now become a regular starter.