"The main outfielder is coming back." 7.8 billion FA compensation players, stretching the second division → Multi-hit + 2 RBIs...Will the pinch-hitting batting average of 0.074 & disappointing outfield players be resolved
"The main outfielder is coming back." 7.8 billion FA compensation players, stretching the second division → Multi-hit + 2 RBIs...Will the pinch-hitting batting average of 0.074 & disappointing outfield players be resolved
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Finally, he will come back. Jang Jin-hyuk, a new outfielder of KT Wiz, is elevating his performance in the second division. If things continue now, he is expected to join the first division soon. Will he be able to solve a slew of problems at KT.메이저사이트
Jang changed his uniform ahead of the 2025 season. He was selected by the Hanwha Eagles as the 39th pick in the fourth round of the second round of the 2016 Rookie Draft, and played as a member of the Eagle Corps until the 2024 season. In particular, he performed best in 99 games last year with a batting average of 0.263 OPS of 0.747, with 76 hits, nine homers, and 14 steals. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Hanwha Eagles signed a four-year total of 7.8 billion FA contract with Um Sang-baek, and Jang Jin-hyuk was selected as Um's reward player and moved to KT.
Earlier, manager Lee Kang-chul had his eye on Jang Jin-hyuk. He is a tool player who can make contact, power, base running, and defense capabilities, and has evaluated him as a resource that can elevate KT's outfielders to the next level. "We expect him to create synergy with existing outfield resources by banking on his ability to immediately hit long balls above the average in the KBO League and strength in defense and base running," a KT official said at the time of the nomination.
The wing was bent due to injury just before the opening of the season. Jang felt pain in his side at the end of the exhibition game, and was diagnosed with a 6-centimeter tear in his side muscle. He was diagnosed with the disease for at least four weeks before returning home, and has been striving for rehabilitation thus far.
Finally, Jang Jin-hyuk began to stretch. He played for the first time in the second division game against Samsung in Gyeongsan on the 6th, and recorded one hit (triple) in three at-bats, one walk, and one RBI. He also started as the second batter and left fielder on the 7th, and made two hits, one run, and two RBIs in five at-bats.
He struck out swinging at his first and second batter's box. When his team was losing 1-2, he made a timely RBI in the third batter's box with two outs and runners on the first and second bases in the fifth inning. He failed to score due to a failed follow-up hit. When his team was losing 2-3, he garnered a timely RBI after a 10-pitch game in the fourth batter's box with one out and runners on the first and second bases in the seventh inning. He even scored a run thanks to the hit he made afterwards. Jang, who was out after hitting a fly ball to the left field in the ninth inning with no outs and runners on the first base, finished the game by substituting Jeong Young-woong, a major leaguer, at the end of the inning.
Jang Jin-hyuk joins KT everywhere. As of the 7th, KT's outfield team will have Mel Rojas Jr., Ahn Hyun-min and Kim Min-hyuk as the main players, while Bae Jeong-dae, Kim Gun-hyung and Kim Byung-joon will play as backup. Bae Jeong-dae, the main center fielder, is sluggish with a batting average of 0.206, and Kim Min-hyuk has a bad hamstring, so constant management is essential. Rojas is looking at the center fielder as a desperate measure, but his defense stability is poor. Ahn Hyun-min's explosive power halved as other teams began to check. It is time for Jang Jin-hyuk, who can play all positions in the outfield, to play an active role.
It can also provide a clue to the problem of substitution. KT's batting average as a substitute is mere 0.074. SSG Landers, ranking ninth, is 0.179. KT is the only one with a batting average of less than 100%. KT has a clear line between a key player and a backup player. Young players have joined the team this year, but still needs time. Also, a large number of key players have been sidelined due to injury, and younger players are now playing in the game. They lack resources as a substitute. Last season, Jang Jin-hyuk played as a substitute and boasted three hits, two RBIs and a batting average of .500 in six times at bat.
After two wins, KT has lost three consecutive games. Whenever it gains, it slips away repeatedly. Will Jang Jin-hyuk be able to kickstart a new trend for KT.