The ‘Captain’ takes off the burden of defending first base. But Sajik first base is still crowded.
After the season ended, everything from the general manager to the manager and most of the first-team coaching staff changed. The new coaching staff is full of legendary infielders who dominated an era, including senior Kim Min-jae, bench Kim Kwang-soo, and defensive coach Kim Min-ho. This is why the Sangdong District 2 baseball stadium is heating up, starting with the finishing camp and ending with the rookie camp.
This year, the infield lineup of third base Han Dong-hee, shortstop Noh Jin-hyuk, second base Ahn Chi-hong, and first base Ko Seung-min was in operation throughout the season. Jeong Hoon shared first base with Ko Seung-min, and Park Seung-wook and Lee Hak-ju played multiple backup roles.
Next year’s infield is likely to be different. Above all, second base was empty. With the free agent transfer of Ahn Chi-hong (Hanwha), variables have increased. The outline is expected to be revealed only during spring training.
Jeon Jun-woo, who has been trying to convert to first base in recent years, is expected to let go of that burden through this free agent contract. Like last year, he will mainly play as a designated hitter, but unless it is an unavoidable situation, he is expected to play left field rather than first base. Even if Jeon Jun-woo is missing, Lotte first base is likely to be a battleground in spring camp.
The key is the position of Han Dong-hee, who showed the worst performance with a batting average of .203 and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.583. Manager Kim Tae-hyung hopes that Han Dong-hee will stay at third base if possible. 카지노사이트가이드 The player himself also wants third base.
However, while Han Dong-hee has a decent catch, he has shown a weakness in throwing to first base. There is also a way to move to first base to focus on hitting. Due to this year’s slump, the company’s position has narrowed and its competitors have increased.
Na Seung-yeop, the ‘500 million hitter’, also returned. Na Seung-yeop received attention as a large infield prospect playing shortstop and third base during his high school days. Immediately after joining Lotte, he briefly received training as a center fielder. Afterwards, he returned to the infield, and concentrated on first base for the Sangmu and APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship) national teams.
His batting average was over .300 for two consecutive seasons while playing for Sangmu, and his OPS was around 0.9, and he is evaluated as having strengthened his batting. He has a tall height of 1m90 and a slim figure, and is said to have a stable catch.
Ko Seung-min sweated while receiving pungos at second base throughout the closing camp. After joining the pros, he moved to the outfield, served as first baseman, and then returned to second base, a player who went through a turbulent change in position.
In the long run, there is a lot of potential, but it is not easy to see a second baseman in the first team right now. Due to coach Kim Tae-hyung’s tendency to emphasize infield defense, it is not easy to gain an advantage over Park Seung-wook and other competitors during spring training. However, if it is a waste to give up Ko Seung-min’s batting, he may compete with Na Seung-yeop and others for first base.
Due to the nature of their positions, other infielders such as Kim Min-soo, Jeong Dae-sun, Oh Seon-jin, and Choi Hang are also expected to aim for first base at any time. However, veteran Jeong Hoon’s position is unrivaled as a player who will be urgently deployed to first base at any time.
Even while struggling with injuries last year, he played 80 games and had 233 at-bats, recording a decent batting average of .279 and an OPS of 0.796. In particular, his defensive stability is considered the best in the team. This is the most difficult wall to overcome for those aiming for first base.