It's the first time in seven years that I've hit seven times after returning to Korea, so the batting machine that I'm trying to hit is also aging curve? Will I recover my honor with 2500 hits in 2025
Dec 24, 2024
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Following the left-handed bullpen Ham Deok-ju, closer Yoo Young-chan was out early in the season due to injury, and as the bullpen situation became difficult, veteran FA Kim Kang-ryul was caught, and veteran sidearm Shim Chang-min was also recruited. This has succeeded in stabilizing the anxiety of the bullpen to some extent.
However, it is unclear whether the bullpen will show as much stability as expected from the beginning of next season. That's why I need help from the batters.
In the offseason, LG did not make much movement on the batter's side. It's because he's very certain to be the main player and he's also raising backup players. However, the lineup needs to be more explosive.
In fact, LG's bullpen was weak this season, but the ups and downs of the batters also contributed to the decline in the ranking. LG's team batting average this season was 283, ranking third overall after the KIA Tigers (0.301) and the Lotte Giants (0.285). He scored 808 points, ranking second after KIA (858 points). The OPS, which added on-base plus slugging percentage, was fourth overall with 0.780.
Overall, the batting performance was not bad, but it was regrettable that there were ups and downs. He scored a lot when he burst, but he had a lot of difficulties in the game he had to win, including the opponent's ace.
In particular, for LG, the sluggishness of Kim Hyun-soo, who was the center of the team's lineup, remained a pain. Kim Hyun-soo has been the mainstay of LG's batting lineup since 2018 when he returned from the U.S. He is also the person who created the training culture of LG batters today. There were many players who took the current hit by imitating Kim Hyun-soo, who was a practice bug. Even now, he still leads his juniors by training a lot. Recently, however, Kim Hyun-soo has failed to show his past destructive power. Kim Hyun-soo, who had a batting average of 293, 143 hits, six home runs and 88 RBIs last year, had a batting average of 294 (152 hits in 517 at-bats) and eight home runs and 69 RBIs this year. The batting average was similar, but the RBI decreased. This is because the batting average of the scoring position was only 257.
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Kim Hyun-soo started as the seventh batter against Jamsil NC on August 9. He was the seventh batter in his first start since coming to LG in 2018. For the rest of the year, he played seven more times in four games.
Next season is also a season for Kim Hyun-soo to regain his self-esteem with a revival. I also look forward to my personal milestone next year. He has recorded 2,388 hits so far this season, leaving only 112 on 2,500 hits, and is likely to achieve next season. Son Ah-seop (2511) of the NC Dinosaurs and Park Yong-taek (2504) of the NC Dinosaurs can join the ranks of 2,500 hits. KIA Choi Hyung-woo has hit 2,442 so far this season, leading by 54. With 1,432 RBIs, he has only 68 left in his career of 1,500 RBIs. He is the third candidate to surpass 1,500 RBIs after KIA Choi Hyung-woo (1651) and SSG Choi Jeong (1,561).
For LG, which needs time for the mound to settle down, the early lineup needs to explode and give bullpen pitchers some peace of mind. LG was able to create a strong bullpen when it won last year because the batters did well and gave bullpen pitchers room to settle down.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop wanted batters to work hard, saying several times this season, `We are a team of hitting.' This stance does not change until next year. LG is a team that has to beat, and for that to happen, Kim Hyun-soo's revival is essential.
indyk@sportschosun.com
