The Kia Tigers’ choice of Lee Woo-sung, 29, is proving to be a godsend, as the first baseman’s ability to play both outfield and first base is proving to be a huge asset for the team. He is also showing signs of becoming an irreplaceable batsman who will inherit the honor of Lee Bum-ho, who wore the number 25 jersey. That’s what the coach hoped for.
Lee had a difficult choice to make at the end of last year’s season. For the first time in his professional career, Lee batted .400 in 400 at-bats. After playing the outfield for more than a decade, he suddenly decided to switch to first base. There were plenty of outfield options, but no first baseman. I wanted to have my first full-time opportunity, and there was something for the team as well.
I worked on my first base skills day and night during the offseason, during the final camp in Okinawa, and during spring training in Canberra, Australia and Okinawa, Japan. I intentionally used the pitching machine to get used to strong pitches. In practice, he showed his defense, including his reaction time to batted balls, 바카라사이트 and successfully settled in at first base. He was confirmed to play first base on Opening Day.
Just days before the start of the season, right fielder Na Sung-beom suffered a hamstring injury.
Hwang Dae-in, who joined the first team after completing the second team camp, made his way into the opening lineup with a blistering performance in an exhibition game. Lee Woo-sung was forced to move back to right field to fill the outfield void. He started all three games in right field from the opening day. Hwang Dae-in took over at first base.
But then another change happened. Hwang went down with a hamstring injury while running the bases in a game. He was diagnosed with a muscle injury, but due to the amount of blood pooling, he wouldn’t be able to play again for up to four weeks. In other words, he”s expected to be out for at least two months. The first base position is open again. Infielder Seo Gun-chang, who had been playing first base, was a stopgap measure, so the team needed a regular first baseman again.
Lee said, “I’ll use Woo Sung-rae as the first baseman again, and in the outfield, I’ll alternate between (Lee) Chang-jin and (Kim) Ho-ryung. Even if there are changes in the outfield, I’ll keep him at first base. He has a good sense of defense at first base. It’s hard to switch from the outfield to first base if you don’t have a good sense. I played third base and first base as a student. Above average defense. I can’t make sliding catches, but I’m good at catching rolling balls. Of course, there will be mistakes, but I will be patient.”
Lee’s real strength is his ability to hit, and his switch to first base was to continue to utilize that ability.
He has produced hits in all three games since the start of the season. He went 5-for-12 (.417) with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. 안전 토토사이트 She batted fifth and sixth in the batting order. In the Gwangju game against Lotte on April 27, he hit a clean single to center field with runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh inning with a 6-2 lead.
He is proving to be worthy of the number he inherited from Lee. “It’s nice when they do that,” Lee said. He prepared well last year, the year before. He’s a good hitter. I had a lot of trouble changing my batting stance. It worked well for me. I felt good, I felt confident. I had a good swing speed. I think he will be a good hitter in the future.”