Lee Kang-chul's ideal Kang Baek-ho attack-type No. 1 hitter who can't steal a base but hits a home run

Mar 04, 2025

In a practice game between KT and KIA at Kin Stadium in Okinawa, Japan on the 3rd, KT catcher Kang Baek-ho is asking whether he will swing at the first base at the bottom of the 2nd inning when KIA Kim Tae-gun was at bat. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.03.03/

KT Kang Baek-ho hits a practice game between KT and KIA at Kin Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 3rd. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.03.03/

In a practice game between KT and KIA at Kin Stadium in Okinawa, Japan on the 3rd, KT Huh Kyung-min hands a mask to catcher Kang Baek-ho in the bottom of the 4th inning. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.03.03/

[Okinawa (Japan) Sports Chosun Reporter Kwon In-ha]"Kang Baekho should be considered the first offensive hitter."

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul made a breakthrough lineup in the Okinawa practice game. Kang Baek-ho and Mel Rojas Jr., the center hitters, were placed as table setters.

Kang Baek-ho, who takes over as the designated hitter and catcher, will be the top hitter, and Rojas will be the second batter. Huh Kyung-min from Doosan hits No. 3 and Jang Sung-woo hits No. 4. The 1st and 2nd were made to be much heavier than the 3rd and 4th.

Rojas started 91 games last season as the first hitter. In the case of Kang Baek-ho, he played as a top hitter in 2018 when he was a rookie, meaning to go to many at-bats and gain experience, but he mainly played as a center hitter in 2019, mainly as a third hitter.

Kang Baek-ho hit 26 home runs last year, and Rojas hit 32 home runs, ranking first and second in the team.

On Kang Baek-ho's top hitter type, coach Lee Kang-chul said "Offensive first hitter." Usually, top hitters often deploy players with high on-base percentage and excellent running ability. It also plays a role in allowing subsequent hitters to adapt to the starting pitchers' balls while watching a lot of the ball.

Kang Baek-ho is a very aggressive hitter, so he is not the type of top hitter that ordinary people think he is. Director Lee is also well aware of the situation. Manager Lee said, `I think Kang Baek-ho should be seen as the No. 1 offensive type. "I'm not like this after watching the ball." "To do that, Rojas has to be a top hitter, but I decided to go with Kang Baek-ho and Rojas because it was a waste." he said.

KT Kang Baek-ho, who started as a catcher in a practice game between KT and SSG held at Kushikawa Baseball Stadium in Okinawa, Japan on the 28th. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.02.28/

KT and Hanwha practice games at Kochinda Stadium in Okinawa, Japan on the 26th, and KT Kang Baek-ho hits a ball in the top of the 5th inning. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.02.26/

KT catcher Kang Baek-ho, who plays defense in the bottom of the second inning, a practice game between KT and KIA at Kin Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 3rd. Okinawa (Japan) = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.03.03/

Manager Lee said "But Kang Baek-ho said he would hit 180 hits and hit a .35 batting average." So I told you to do whatever you want."

Kang Baek-ho's on-base percentage has not been very high in recent years. It was 0.360 last year, was low at 0.347 in 71 games in 2023 and 0.312 in 2022.

However, Kang Baek-ho's on-base percentage was quite low just before the sluggish game. For three years from 2019 to 2021, he had an on-base percentage of over 0.400. He ranked second with 0.416 in 2019, fifth with 0.411 in 2020, and second with a high on-base percentage of 0.450 in 2021, especially after LG Twins Hong Chang-ki (0.456). The on-base percentage is 0.388.

However, no matter how many top hitters he is, he is unlikely to steal many bases. The most stolen bases in a season were 10 in 2021. Last year, he tried eight times and succeeded six times. With 38 successes and 19 failures in his career, the success rate is 66.7%.

Kang Baek-ho has regained confidence in his batting as he escaped from a slump last year. In addition, he will become an FA when he finishes this season, so he is sure to be motivated. Kang Baek-ho's most hits this season are 179 hits in 2021. If you hit 180 hits as a top hitter, you will set a new record for your most hits. If he enters many at-bats as the first batter, he can expect to surpass his season's most home runs of 29 when he was a rookie, and surpass his first 30 home runs as a professional.

In other words, being a top hitter can help Kang Baek-ho. How will Kang Baek-ho's performance as the No. 1 hitter be.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.