Big shot instinct awakened in Australia, becoming a dark horse in ‘time-limited outfield competition’

Has the ‘Geopo Instinct’ finally awakened?

Interest is growing in whether Kim Seok-hwan (24, KIA Tigers), who was on his way to study in Australia, will be active in the new season. This is because he joined the opening entry with great expectations for the 2022 season, but felt the wall of the first team painfully, and he was disappointed based on his great success in the Australian Professional Baseball (ABL).

Kim Seok-hwan, who played 10 games for ABL Geelong Korea, had a batting average of 2.94 (10 hits in 34 at-bats), 4 homers and 10 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.429, and a slugging percentage of 0.676. Although he has a small sample, he has home runs on nearly half of his 10 hits. He made up half of his hits with long hits, including one double. 메이저놀이터

This performance further raised the possibility that Kim Seok-hwan would compete in the first team again.

KIA coach Kim Jong-guk included Kim Seok-hwan in the Arizona Spring Camp roster ahead of the 2023 season. Invitation to the 1st team spring camp for the second year in a row following last year. Last year, Kim Seok-hwan threatened his seniors with his outstanding batting ability during the camp, and was honored with registration for the opening entry and participation in the opening game. However, his batting average was only 1.7 3 for the month of April, and he was eventually reduced to a backup agent. On July 24, when the KIA made the largest margin of victory (23-0) in a single game in the KBO League, they fired a thrilling three-runner against Lotte in Busan, but that was the end. He finished the season with a 104 batting average (14 hits in 94 at-bats), 3 homers, 7 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.518 in 51 games. The focus is on confirming the skills he developed while going through Geelong Korea through this spring camp.

This year’s KIA outfield competition is ‘limited time’. Core hitter Na Seong-beom (34) and Socrates Brito (31), who is entering his second year in the league, are holding on, and Choi Won-joon (26), who is completing his military service in June, joins the team. Lee Chang-jin (32), who occupied a spot in the outfield last year, joined the camp roster, but Lee Woo-seong (29), who played an active role as a backup, was eliminated and the competition started. In this composition, Kim Seok-hwan, who made achievements through studying in Australia, appears to be challenging again.

Of course, it is unclear whether his performance in Geelong Korea will lead to an invitation to the first team camp. He showed good form on base and slugging, but his 5 walks while striking out 12 are worth a look. The vulnerability of last season, which was prominent in terms of attacking the breaking ball or defending, must be improved before it can be given another chance in the first team.