I'm in crisis every year, every moment of the competition is ready! A big change in reality, a chance for Ma Huang, who is in second place for a triple
Dec 18, 2024
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It is the determination of Lotte Giants' Hwang Sung-bin, who is spending this winter.
He has walked through a dramatic baseball life. He was from Soraego-Gyeongnam University, which is close to baseball barren land, and enjoyed the excitement of joining the professional team in the second fifth round in 2020.
He joined the army immediately in April of his first year. As he was a college graduate, he intended to resolve his military service quickly and then compete in the professional league. It became a hot topic as he appealed his earnestness by sending a letter to the general manager ahead of his enlistment in the military.
The team's expectation was a first-team contender. In addition to Hwang Sung-bin playing well as he is now, there were no baseball officials at Lotte who expected him to become a key player in the team's chemistry by controlling the team's atmosphere.
As Hwang Sung-bin recalled later, he is a player who was not invited despite the mobilization of newcomers such as Cho Se-jin, Na Seung-yeop, and Choo Jae-hyun and unknown outfielders in the second division as the outfield became Muju Gongsan after Son Ah-seop's transfer.
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When Hwang Sung-bin was deployed to the first team, his greatest strength, which was not revealed in training, emerged. His ability to change the atmosphere of the game with desperation to grit his teeth and hustle play and ceremony without fear of injury was the best. At the end of the 2022 season, Lotte's outfield was reorganized into foreign player Rex, prospect Ko Seung-min, and center fielder Hwang Sung-bin. OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage, 0.707) was praised as a player with a clear batting average (2994) and base running.
The ordeal came again last year. As weaknesses were analyzed, the batting average plunged to 212, and the future seemed uncertain as new outfielders such as Yoon Dong-hee and Kim Min-seok appeared one after another.
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On top of that, he strengthened his value by training his fast feet to the limit. He added 51 stolen bases (third in stolen bases) to the second place in triples (eight, 10 in first place Kim Do-young). The success rate of stolen bases, which had been constantly criticized, also rose to 83.6%. He has also successfully adapted to the left field position by supplementing his defense. He proved himself to be the embodiment of hard work.
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Next year, Lotte's outfield faced a major change. Choo Jae-hyun and Kim Min-seok were traded to Doosan, creating a gap in the first-team outfield. The pitch clock will be introduced in earnest, making it difficult for pitchers to check runners.
Hwang Sung-bin is in a position to compete for the remaining seat with rookie Cho Se-jin, but he has clearly shown his own unique value.
Now Hwang Sung-bin wants to be the leadoff (first hitter). To do this, more efforts are needed to improve the trail and increase the on-base rate.
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"I don't care about competition. There is no team that can guarantee me a starting position. Every year is a crisis and a competition. Just getting on that stage is my goal every winter, and then I have to show you."
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
