KIA Tigers infielder Kim Do-young was not in good condition last week. He was hit in the wrist by Yang Eui-ji’s hit in a match against the Doosan Bears in Gwangju on Wednesday, but suffered from enteritis and had porridge for a while. However, he is okay for a few days even if this happens to Park Chan-ho or Kim Sun-bin, not to mention Kim Do-young.

This is because Kia has discovered right-handed pitcher Hong Jong-pyo (24), a “superbackup” this year. After graduating from Gangneung High School, he joined the team as the 16th player in the second round in 2020. He also completed his military service at Sangmu. Baseball is showing signs of abating in 2024, the fifth year of his professional career.

Although he is not a regular player, he played in 22 games as a backup. He had 13 hits in 37 times at bat, batting average of 0.351 with four RBIs, seven runs scored and one stolen base, OPS of 0.928 with a 0.375 run-scoring percentage. Although he has few samples, his performance is quite impressive. He can play all the infield positions except for first base.

KIA slowed down a bit in May, but Hong’s performance is the biggest harvest. He joined the primary league on April 11, and has not given up his position to other players for more than a month. Even now, the minor league includes Kim Gyu-seong, backup of last year’s infield all-weather, Park Min, and Choi Jung-yong, “Australian students.” However, Hong’s performance is remarkable. At this point, there is no reason for Hong to release his role in the primary league.

Ahead of the match against the NC Dinos in Changwon on the 18th, coach Lee Bum-ho said, “Jong-pyo has been around for more than five years. I picked him in the second round because he said he was a good player. He originally had the ability to bat. He also had contact and matched well. I’m not sure if I’ll keep it going, but I think I can do my part when the main players take a break.”

As the batting went well, the team’s defensive cohesion has also increased. Manager Lee Bum-ho said, “I can play various positions. I think we are in a situation where we can display the capabilities that we have on the main agenda. As I find confidence with the bat, I am also doing my best in defense in areas that I can play.”

In particular, coach Lee Bum-ho highly appreciated Hong’s commitment and ambition to do well. “He must want to get a hit, a home run, and get on base. I think our players have such greed. And with such greed, professional players can grab a spot when they get their seats. Jong-pyo has such ability,” he said.

Will Hong become a multi-back infielder with both offense and defense? This is a character that is rarely seen in 10 teams. He needs to be able to maintain a sense of hitting even if he plays irregularly. Right now, when Kim Do-young made a normal appearance at the match against NC in Changwon on Feb. 18-19, Hong was absent for two consecutive days. If he overcomes this issue and displays his performance as consistent as possible in offense and defense, there is no rule against him not to look beyond backup to select key players.

BY: 토토사이트 추천