“Bae Ji-hwan is a black hole in the lineup”, “actually a minus player.”
Criticism toward Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates), who started the season hotly, continued. His greatest weapon, his quick feet, was tied up, and he himself reflected, “The biggest homework is to distinguish when to use my feet and when not to use them.”토토사이트
Ironically, looking at Bae Ji-hwan’s batting record in May, it makes us doubt whether it is true of the player being criticized.
In the 2023 Major League away game against the Seattle Mariners held at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, USA on the 27th (Korean time), Bae Ji-hwan started as a second baseman, batting 8, recording 2 hits, 1 run and 1 strikeout in 4 at-bats.
A black hole on the other line? Bae Ji-hwan’s bat is hot in MayWith his ninth multi-hit of the season, his batting average rose from 0.264 to 0.271. As of May, his batting average reached a whopping 0.302 (16 hits in 53 at-bats).
Last month, public reaction towards Bae Ji-hwan was very hot. He was fast-footed, recording only 1 error while stealing 11 bases, and made a strong impression on defense with his super catch. One by one, those who evaluate him as the future of Pittsburgh began to emerge, such as hitting a walk-off home run at the plate.
But this month, the atmosphere has completely changed 180 degrees. In the middle of this month, Pittsburgh Baseball Now, a local media outlet, criticized Bae Ji-hwan, saying, “One-third of the batting line is a black hole,” saying, “I made up for my poor batting ability with base play, but the (stealing) success rate in May also fell.”
The next day, Bae Ji-hwan led the team to victory with 3 hits and 4 on base. Even after that, Bae Ji-hwan continued to produce hits, and on this day, he attacked the 150km sinker and made a left-handed hit, and in the second company in the 7th inning, he pulled out a double with a bullet hit with an exit speed of 161km. Faster batting speed means power and hitting, and if these metrics continue, it means that the probability of getting a hit will increase. With Bae Ji-hwan’s hard hit, Pittsburgh won 11-6 and chased the Milwaukee Brewers, who led the National League (NL) Central District, by 0.5 games.
The problem is base base and defense, but the future is brightHowever, it was May when many failed base steals and runaways were painful. Unlike until April, in May, while adding 3 stolen bases, 4 failed. He also broke his pulse due to excessive base play.
A clear rebound from hitting is a welcome thing. On this day, he also displayed his long-term ability by digging into second base using his quick feet on a ball that could only have been a single hit. When Bae Ji-hwan gets a hit rather than a walk, the possibility of advancing one base base is quite high compared to other players. This is because he has quick feet that are in the top 3% of the major leagues this season according to Statcast.
Director Derek Selton also wrapped up his students, saying, “If it’s wrong, just teach it, and it’s just that it doesn’t happen again in the future.”
There is also a downside to the defense. On the 22nd, Pittsburgh Prospect of the United States pointed out the team’s thinning defensive wall and said, “To find Bae Ji-hwan (in the defense index rankings), you have to go down to the 88th.” Evaluated.
However, it should be taken into account that Bae Ji-hwan is a utility player. Bae Ji-hwan has played a total of 325⅔ innings on defense this season. He pitched 173 innings, the most as a second baseman, but also pitched in 128⅓ innings as a center fielder. 24 innings for a shortstop. If Bae Ji-hwan had perfect defensive skills, it is highly likely that he would have settled in one position. On the contrary, because there is no clear player in that position, Bae Ji-hwan moves from one position to another depending on the team situation.
It is unreasonable to demand high perfection from utility players. Nevertheless, players like Bae Ji-hwan are in the limelight because they broaden the manager’s range of player operations. This is also the reason Bae Ji-hwan was able to play in 46 of the 50 games the team played.
Bae Ji-hwan is the first full-time player in the big leagues. He is, of course, doomed to many failures. Bae Ji-hwan, who is showing results in batting, is recognized by everyone for his talent in defense and running. He just points out his lack of judgment or experience as such. This part is likely to improve as you learn and experience it. This is why it is necessary to pay attention to the uptrend of hitting rather than regret in defense and running.