Reinforcing Park Se-hyuk after missing the FA maximum… 2nd batting order, etc. Various experiments
reward player Ahn Joong-yeol Backup 1st… In the second half, ‘prospect’ Kim Hyeong-jun returns
The biggest task this season for the NC Dinos, who lost the league’s best catcher Eui-ji Yang, is to find the ‘successor of Eui-ji Yang’. It is very important because it can influence the atmosphere of the entire team due to the nature of the catcher position.
Of course, it is not easy to fill the void left by Yang Eui-ji, who performed at the highest level in karate. It’s never something that can be solved in a short time.스포츠토토
The exhibition match is a good stage to experiment with various things. NC, which has currently played 4 games, is going through a ‘transitional period’ by trying this and that.
A representative experiment is ‘2nd hitter Park Se-hyeok’. Park Se-hyeok is a catcher that NC urgently recruited after Yang Eui-ji was taken away. It seemed that the value was declining due to the sluggishness last season, but the interests with NC were right.
Coach Kang In-kwon picked Park Se-hyuk as the second hitter from spring camp. As a left-handed hitter, which is not common as a catcher, it is judged that there is an advantage in hitting the ball to the right.
His feet are not fast, but he believes that he will be able to do his job well enough if he has good contact skills and the strength of a left-handed hitter.
Moreover, considering that NC has Park Min-woo as the leadoff, Son Ah-seop and Park Gun-woo, and outsider Jason Martin as the center hitter, the burden is not great. At the same time, new infielders Kim Joo-won and Oh Young-soo induce comfortable swings in the lower batting order.
As it is virtually difficult to digest full-time as a catcher, a ‘backup catcher’ is also essential to fill the void when Park Se-hyuk is missing.
The first person to be counted is Ahn Joong-yeol. Ahn Joong-yeol was recruited as a compensation player when NC gave away infielder Noh Jin-hyeok to Lotte.
Ahn Joong-yeol, a typical defensive catcher, shows stability in defense rather than offense. He is expected to share starting pitches with Park Se-hyuk, and in some cases, we may see a situation where Park Se-hyuk starts as the designated hitter and An Joong-yeol as the catcher.
In the second half, promising player Kim Hyung-joon returns. Kim Hyung-joon is a highly anticipated player, which is why NC was able to boldly trade Kim Tae-gun while Yang Eui-ji and Kim Tae-gun were possessed.
However, 20 days before the Sangmu campaign, he suffered a major injury that ruptured his cruciate ligament. This allowed him to miss the first half after being discharged, and was able to return only in the second half.
Although he has a regrettable history of suffering major injuries, if Kim Hyung-jun explodes his potential, his starting position could be threatened. He basically has punching power, so he can expect long hits, and his arm is also good, so he can show his strength in defense.
NC’s catchers without Yang Eui-ji are unstable, but they are taking shape through the transition period. Watching NC’s catchers slowly settle down will also be one of the important points this season.