Lotte has another ‘nerd’ player?
Noh Jin-hyuk (34, Lotte) has been nicknamed “Noh Prosecutor” because he looks like a schoolboy. Somehow, he looks like he’s going to be very good at studying. It’s safe to say that Lotte’s lineup now has a ‘nerd 2’. His bushy beard is impressive, and his horn-rimmed glasses give him a very schoolboy image. It’s a good impression.
Niko Gudrum, 31, is the new foreign hitter. Goodrum made his debut against Kiwoom on July 21 as a replacement for Jack Rex. It’s been less than a month. That’s a lot of time to adjust to the KBO. It’s not easy to join a team in the middle of the season and start hitting well right away.
In 21 games, he is 20-for-81 with a .247 batting average, 14 RBI, seven runs scored, a .321 on-base percentage, a .333 OPS, and a .654 slugging percentage. His on-base percentage is good, but his overall average is not. Six of his 20 hits are doubles, but he still hasn’t hit his first home run since his debut.
He plays a variety of positions, including third base, shortstop, and left field. With Han Dong-hee being sent down to the second team due to his batting struggles, he’s mostly playing third base. She has the advantage of being able to play multiple positions and has a good defense. However, foreign hitters are less attractive if they play good defense.
Lotte was second last week with a team batting average of .326. In that span, Goodrum went 5-for-23 with a .217 batting average and five RBIs, including a 1-for-12 performance in a three-game weekend series at home against KIA. In the 11th game, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Goodrum was caught stealing a delayed home run.
Second baseman Son Sung-bin skied deep to third base, and KIA catcher Kim Tae-gun made a throw to the plate, allowing third baseman Noh Jin-hyuk to come home. However, Noh’s start was a bit late, and he was ultimately thrown out at the plate thanks to the quick thinking of KIA shortstop Park Chan-ho. The fact that Lotte used such a tactic with a foreigner at the plate shows that they don’t have much faith in Goodrum. Manager Larry Sutton also admitted that he took into account Goodrum’s poor batting form ahead of the 12th game.
You can’t give a foreign batsman less than a month to adjust to the league. Goodrum will have his work cut out for him. KBO pitchers are no slouches either, but Lotte’s situation is too urgent to wait for a foreign hitter to adjust. Lotte is in the hunt for a top-five finish, chasing Doosan in fifth and KIA in sixth.토토사이트
I’ve been batting second, third, and even fourth through sixth, but I don’t feel comfortable in any of those spots. Now, he needs to make an impact in the batting order. On the flip side, if Goodrum can hit, Lotte’s lineup can be quite potent, and it could be a big boost to their top-five challenge. Foreign pitchers can also make an impact. It’s time for Goodrum to do his research as a ‘nerd’.