‘Comet Express’ Kim Hye-sung’s Mercury or the challengers’ charter reversal?
Currently, the best second baseman in the KBO League is Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom). She is the best in the league in terms of hitting, defense, and base running, and evaluations say that she has the potential to challenge the major leagues. In 2021 she took the Golden Glove as a shortstop and in 2022 as a second baseman. She is the first player ever to win the Golden Gloves for both positions in the center infield.
Hyesung Kim recently hit 30% for two consecutive years, and last year his OPS also increased to 0.776. Her last two years of stolen bases totaled a whopping 80. If she hadn’t been injured at the end of the season, she could have been the stolen base king for two consecutive years. In the case of her defense, she was distinguished by a wide range and stable double play that utilized her quick feet.
Kim Hye-seong will dream of winning the Golden Glove for three consecutive years, especially for the second consecutive year, after leading Kiwoom to its first Korean Series championship this year. Like her last year, she is not an impossible mission unless she has an injury variable. However, the challenges of her competitors are expected to be formidable.
First of all, there is Kim Seon-bin (KIA) and Ahn Chi-hong (Lotte), the soul duo of the KIA days. Since the late 2000s, the two have been in charge of KIA’s keystone combination and have been reborn as the league’s top center infielders. After Ahn Chi-hong left for Lotte, Kim Sun-bin moved to second base, and now they are competing in good faith. 슬롯사이트
After this season, the two will be eligible for free agency again side by side. Good team performance is fundamental, and it’s good to have the will to be a top second baseman. As he entered his mid-thirties, his athletic ability fell behind Kim Hye-sung. However, apart from that, there is no part that falls behind Kim Hye-sung. They are strong candidates who can stop Kim Hye-sung’s second baseman’s Golden Glove challenge.
Park Min-woo (NC), who boasts 6th place in all-time batting average (0.320), is also sharpening his sword. This is the first season of a 5+3 year, 14 billion won free agent contract. He said, “I can’t accept myself” with a batting average of 0.267 last season. He is a national team-level second baseman equipped with offense and defense, so he can crack the top second baseman game at any time.
Although he signed a 4-year, 4.2 billion won free agent contract with SSG, Choi Joo-hwan, who has been sluggish for the past two years in a row, should also be watched. Choi Joo-hwan had a batting average of 0.211 with 9 homers and 41 RBI last year. However, in 49 games in the second half, he was clearly revived with a batting average of 0.262, 7 homers and 22 RBIs. It’s a fairly long section, so it’s hard to overlook. However, he was sluggish with a batting average of 0.143 in 6 Korean Series games.
In addition, clubs that need to confirm the growth of Jung Eun-won (Hanwha) and Kim Ji-chan (Samsung), and LG and KT, which need to find a clear owner of second base, are in slightly different circumstances. In particular, it remains to be seen what will be the result of Seo Geon-chang, who has not shown his usual appearance at all after moving to LG, reuniting with coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop, who was a mentor during the Nexen days.
Kim Hye-sung recently received the Golden Glove for two consecutive years, and her annual salary rose to 420 million won. With Kim Hye-sung’s successful conversion to second base and winning the Golden Glove, the competition for the best second baseman in the KBO League fell into a labyrinth. A great match between second basemen is expected this season.