Its Looking Hungry Everyday, A Lee Joo-hyung and Kim Si-ang
“Looking hungry every day” Lee Joo-hyung and Kim Si-ang… Kiwoom Hope Grows
After Lee Joo-hyung transferred to Kiwoom, ‘backup catcher’ Kim Si-ang,
who ranked first in home runs, RBI, and OPS in the team in August,
drew attention for his hard hitting near .500.
“This is not the time to relax in baseball.
They still show hunger and desperation at the baseball stadium every day. 스포츠토토
Hong Won-ki
Kiwoom Heroes coach Hong Won-ki looked back on the month of transfer student Lee Joo-hyung (22),
who took the leap to become a starting outfielder ahead of the SSG Landers game
held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 30th.
Lee Joo-hyung, who wore a Kiwoom uniform through a trade with the LG Twins on the 29th of last month,
He is very active with a season batting average of 0.320, 4 home runs, and 23 RBIs,
his performance is even more remarkable when limited to the period after his transfer to Kiwoom.
In 27 Games
He had a batting average of 0.327, 4 home runs, and 21 RBIs, and his on-base percentage + slugging percentage (OPS) was 0.881,
ranking first in the team in home runs, RBI, and OPS during this period.
Since coming to Kiwoom Heroes, he has had only 5 games in which he did not hit a hit,
continues his steady performance with hits in the last 7 games in a row.
Coach Hong
Coach Hong, who usually refrains from praising specific players, said,
“No matter what ball is thrown, he has the ability to put it in play.
It’s also nice to see that he swings completely on his own.
He praised the player, saying, “Players like that are not common.”
This performance is reminiscent of Lee Jeong-hoo (25),
who was removed from the battle line due to ankle surgery.
Additionally, his ability to consistently produce hits regardless of pitcher type and batting order stands out.
Lee Joo-hyung only slightly faltered with a batting average of 0.200 as the number 1 hitter,
but is recording a batting average of 0.359 in the 5th batting order,
0.349 in the 6th batting order, and 0.304 in the 7th batting order.
He has a batting average of 0.275 for left-handed pitchers, 0.306 for right-handed pitchers, and 0.600 for under-pitchers.
Coach Hong was satisfied, saying, “I tried to dress him up in various outfits to see what he would look like in each position of the starting lineup.
He is currently handling any batting order well.”
Lee Joo-hyung
Lee Joo-hyung, who originally joined the team as an infielder,
was selected as the ‘successor of Lee Jeong-hoo’ and has continued to play as an outfielder for Kiwoom.
In response to a reporter’s question, Manager Hong, who, as is his habit, says, “I will keep all possibilities open,” briefly said, “I will close all possibilities” on whether or not Lee Joo-hyung will be reassigned to the infield.
He said, “We need to plan for next year without Lee Jeong-hoo (entering the U.S.).
The one priority outfield spot is Lee Joo-hyung.”
His challenge for the rest of the season is to develop his ability to cope when his stamina drops and when he hits a slump.
Coach Hong said, “I’m looking forward to seeing what he will do if he starts from the opening.
There are still many pitchers I’m meeting for the first time, and I think his skills will gradually improve.”
Kiwoom, who is reassuring just by the presence of Kim Dong-heon (18), who is scheduled to play in the Hangzhou Asian Games as a rookie catcher,
seems to have even recently acquired a backup catcher.
The main character is Kim Si-ang (21),
a third-year catcher who joined the team in 2021.
Kim Si-ang
Kim Si-ang, who graduated from Gwangju Dongseong High School,
was briefly promoted to the first team last year,
but was sent back to the second team with a batting average of 0.083 (1 hit in 12 at-bats).
This year, he showed off his hot hitting after being promoted to the first team on the 10th.
He posted a batting average of 0.480 (12 hits in 25 at-bats) in 14 games and also had five RBIs.
In the match against Incheon SSG on the 30th,
he hit 3 hits in 4 at-bats and had 3 hits in 2 consecutive games.
Kiwoom, which includes Kim Dong-heon, who is growing into a representative catcher in the KBO League,
veteran Lee Ji-young (37), and Kim Si-ang, also stands out, dreams of a catcher’s kingdom.
Kiwoom fell to last place this season and took a breather,
but expectations are rising that younger ‘heroes’ will take the field next year.