An Woo-jin (24, Kiwoom Heroes), who won two gold medals as a pitcher last year and won the Golden Glove, became the team’s highest paid pitcher. It is drawing a steep salary increase curve, and if this trend is followed, it is expected to even break the record for the highest annual salary of a pitcher in the ‘Hero Corps’ held by Kim Byung-hyun. 스포츠토토
An Woo-jin signed a renewal contract with the Kiwoom club for an annual salary of 350 million won for the 2023 season. This is an increase of 200 million won from the annual salary of 150 million won in the 2022 season. The rate of increase was 133.3%, ranking first in the team, and the amount of increase was tied for second with Lee Jung-hoo (350 million won, 750 million won → 1.1 billion won) and Lee Ji-young (300 million won → 500 million won).
If you narrow the range to a pitcher, you will receive the highest annual salary along with Choi Won-tae (310 million won → 350 million won), who joined three years earlier. It is the first time that Ahn Woo-jin, who joined the pro with a down payment of 600 million won in 2018, recorded the highest annual salary for a team pitcher.
It was expected that Ahn Woo-jin, who was the number one pitcher, would hit the jackpot. In the regular season last year, he appeared in 30 games and pitched 196 innings, recording an excellent record of 15 wins and 8 losses, an ERA of 2.11 and 224 strikeouts. He won two gold medals, ranking first in the earned run average and strikeout category and second in the most wins category.
In addition, in the postseason, he played the role of an ace with an ERA of 2.03, leading Kiwoom to the Korean Series. He also won the award with overwhelming support in the Golden Glove pitcher category.
An Woo-jin, who grew up as the ace of the hero corps, has been steadily increasing his annual salary every year, and his raise is getting bigger.
An Woo-jin, who received the minimum annual salary of 27 million won in 2018, signed for 32 million won, which rose by 5 million won the following year. He played a big role in the postseason, but in the regular season, his contribution was low, such as being absent from the first team entry for nearly half of the season due to discipline and sluggishness.
Ahn Woo-jin won 7 wins (5 losses) in the 2020 season, and his annual salary was raised to 48 million won. After receiving an annual salary of 90 million won in the 2021 season, he firmly established himself as a starting pitcher and recorded 8 wins (8 losses), becoming the first billionaire (150 million won) the following year. And as he won two titles and one golden glove in the 2022 season, his salary soared to the 300 million won mark at once.
An Woo-jin’s annual salary increase is rising significantly from ‘5 million won → 16 million won → 42 million won → 60 million won → 200 million won.”
Kiwoom is a club with a low pitcher’s annual salary compared to batters, and it was not easy for a pitcher to break the 400 million won mark. The highest annual salary for a team pitcher ever recorded by Kim Byeong-hyun in 2012 was 600 million won, which has not been broken for over 10 years. However, if Ahn Woo-jin, who has become an ace representing the league beyond Kiwoom, continues his activities like this, he can soon reach 600 million won.
Kiwoom is giving certain treatment to players who have demonstrated outstanding skills and achieved outstanding results. Lee Jung-hoo, who made his professional debut in 2017 and stood tall as the best player in the league, receives a whopping 1.1 billion won in the new season.