The KIA outfield is getting stronger. Hard times are coming for some.
KIA will take 36 players to Arizona spring camp in February. There are six outfielders: Kim Seok-hwan, Kim Ho-ryeong, Na Seong-beom, Lee Chang-jin, Choi Hyeong-woo, and Socrates Brito. Among them, Na Seong-beom and Socrates are hard hitters, and Choi Hyeong-woo is classified as the main designated hitter.
Here is not the end. There is Choi Won-jun, who will be discharged after completing his military service in Sangmu in June. Choi Won-joon is regarded as a player worthy of leading the KIA-centered batting line as far as his batting is concerned. If Choi Won-joon is discharged, there is a high possibility that the KIA outfield will in fact be reorganized into Choi Won-joon, Socrates, and Na Seong-beom.
In the end, it is expected that last year’s starting left fielder Lee Chang-jin and Geopo prospect Kim Seok-hwan will compete for starting positions until Choi Won-joon returns. Since Choi Won-joon’s return does not guarantee that he will be a full-time starting pitcher, Lee Chang-jin and Kim Seok-hwan must appeal their competitiveness at the Arizona camp as much as possible.
Still, Lee Chang-jin, Kim Seok-hwan, and Kim Ho-ryeong, who are classified as great defenders, are cases classified as the main axis of the first team. Among the outfielders who played as backups in the first team last year, left-handed hitter Ko Jong-wook and right-handed hitter Lee Woo-seong are expected to walk the thorny path. The two were left off the Arizona camp roster.
Just because you can’t go to Arizona camp doesn’t mean you can’t make the first team. Members are expected to change as they move to the Okinawa camp. However, considering the presence of Koh Jong-wook and Lee Woo-sung and Choi Won-joon, it is true that entering the first team at this point is more difficult than last year.
Koh Jong-wook has a batting average of 0.303, 43 homers, 354 RBIs and an OPS of 0.764 in 918 games in the first team. He joined the KIA last year and recorded a batting average of 0.283, 2 homers and 14 RBIs in 62 games. He is definitely an accurate hitting hitter. He has a lot of advantages because he is quick on his feet. However, his defensive skills were so poor that he was often judged ineligible as a full-time starting outfielder during that time. He also showed unstable defense in the game where he played as the main player last year. Unless this issue is dramatically resolved, it is unlikely that Ko Jong-wook’s position in the first team will rapidly expand. 먹튀검증
Lee Woo-sung was born in 1994 and is 29 years old, which is not too old. He was fine last year with a batting average of .292, 1 home run, 12 RBIs and an OPS of .736 in 80 games. However, he is a powerful right-handed hitter, but he did not show off his long hit. Rather, he was noted for his defense. His defense has been evaluated as steadily improving. He’s not very competitive with the established outfielders, to put it mildly.
The KIA outfield is definitely showing signs of being upgraded with the addition of Choi Won-joon. However, in the process, it seems that individual joys and sorrows will inevitably diverge. Still, for Go Jong-wook and Lee Woo-sung, it is necessary to prepare because it can be used when issues such as injuries and sluggishness of existing members break out. At this point, it is the strength of the reserve forces in the KIA outfield.