“Still, you can’t ignore the gap at first base…”
The Kia Tigers’ complete lineup was recognized by people from nine different clubs. The strongest. SPOTV commentator Lee Sung-woo said, “If there are no injuries, the strongest batting lineup of the 10 clubs is KIA.” While broadcasting the last KIA game of the season. Indeed, despite a number of injuries, both major and minor, and a long layoff, KIA’s team batting average was among the best in the league this season.
They ranked second in team batting average (0.276), second in team home runs (101), second in team RBIs (673), second in on-base percentage (0.390), third in slugging percentage (0.345), second in OPS (0.735), first in slugging percentage (0.300), and first in batting average (0.285). In most of these metrics, the LG Twins are the clear winner. So it’s safe to say that LG is the best offense this season.
However, it’s important to note that Na Sung-beom only played 58 games, Kim Do-young played 84 games, and Choi Won-joon played 67 games. Choi Won-jun hasn’t had much of an impact on the team’s offense this season due to his military discharge and poor performance. Regardless, if you’re ranked second in any metric after accounting for the games and time missed by key players, you’re doing pretty well.
The Achilles’ heel of KIA is the first base position. I’m worried about first base as much as anyone. Young professional first basemen are hard to find in each team. KIA is no different. This season, Hwang Dae-in and Byun Woo-hyuk played first base the most.
However, their performance has been disastrous. Hwang, 27, is 174-for-37 with a .213 batting average, five home runs, 26 RBIs, 19 runs scored, a .322 on-base percentage, a .296 OPS, a .618 slugging percentage, and a .259 on-base percentage in 60 games. Byun, 23, is 200-for-45 with a .259 batting average in 83 games. 225 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, 23 runs scored, a .350 on-base percentage, a .314 slugging percentage, a .664 OPS, and a .263 slugging percentage. Oh Seon-woo also played first base occasionally, but the key players were Hwang Dae-in and Byun Woo-hyuk.
They combined to hit .219 with 82 doubles, 12 home runs, 50 RBIs and 49 runs scored in 374 at-bats in 143 games. In real life, that’s almost a failing grade for a single full-time first baseman. But when you look at it as a combination of two hitters, it’s devastating.토스카지노 주소
Hwang Dae-in became the full-time first baseman last year and produced 91 RBIs, but he hasn’t improved this year. Injuries and inconsistency have prevented him from capitalizing on his strengths. Byun Woo-hyuk also has the potential, but he just hasn’t come through when it matters. His season was also marred by nagging injuries.
There are other first base options in the 2023-2024 free agent market, including Yang Seok-hwan. The Tigers have two choices: wait for Hwang Dae-in or Byun Woo-hyuk to develop, or go outside the organization to solve the first base problem. They can either create a master plan to give Byun Woo-hyuk, Hwang Dae-in, or a third candidate a chance to develop, or they can go outside the organization for direction.
In the 25-year history of free agency in the KBO, there has been a side effect of making it harder to organize position traffic unless you’re an S or A-level beast. It is also true that Hwang Dae-in and Byun Woo-hyuk are still in their 20s and need to be given more time. This is one of the most important decisions that Shim will have to make this offseason. “Even though the team’s batting average is up, we can’t ignore the gap at first base,” Shim said.