This is what KT Wiz coach Lee Kang-chul said ahead of the match against Suwon SSG Landers on the 22nd.
Foreign batter Mel Rojas Jr. (34) has shown impeccable performance this season 메이저사이트. He has played in all 141 games played by his team and has a batting average of 0.326 (182 hits in 558 at-bats) with 32 homers and 110 RBIs. He ranks fifth in the league with an OPS of 0.991, which is the combination of on-base percentage (0.419) and slugging percentage (0.572). Most offensive indicators, excluding stolen bases, rank top 10 in the league and top in the team. Manager Lee Kang-chul has been using Rojas as the first batter since mid-May to maximize his offensive ability.
KT’s concern lies in Rojas’ pace. Since the game against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Wednesday last week, Rojas has posted a batting average of 0.160 (four hits in 25 times at bat) in seven games. He remained silent with no hits in eight times at bat in the two consecutive SSG games on Saturday and Sunday, which were considered a watershed moment for his team to advance to the semifinals. Notably, he bowed his head to four strikeouts in four times at bat in the game on Sunday. It is the second time in his career that Rojas, who has played 652 games (a batting average of 0.322), has had four strikeouts in one game. KT has only garnered two wins (five losses) in the recent seven games in which Rojas has been mired in slump, falling to sixth place. Considering the remaining schedule of games, it will be difficult to confirm its advance to the semifinals on its own.
Manager Lee Kang-chul’s comment, “Who can throw a rock to Rojas?” replaces his complicated feeling. It is true that Rojas is agonizing over his poor performance. However, it is hard to single out a player who has performed as well as Jang Sung-woo throughout the season. Rojas has 12 final hits, ranking second in his team after Jang Sung-woo (13). His contribution to victory against substitute players (WAR) is 6.47 based on the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) application, ranking second in the league after Kim Do-young (6.88), who is spending his Monster Season. As his contribution to victory means a great deal, it is hard to undermine Rojas’ overall performance in the recent seven games due to his mini slump.
KT’s concern is that other players who will make up for LOHAS’ poor performance are not showing enough performance. Kang is often out of the starting lineup due to poor condition. Hwang Jae-gyun has a low batting average of 0.231 (9 hits in 39 times at bat) in September. To make matters worse, veteran player Kim Sang-soo’s departure from the lineup due to finger injury has further deteriorated the structure of the lineup. Even if LOHAS is excluded from the lineup, no player will be qualified to fill that position. Kim Min-hyuk is an alternative, but if that happens, the second lineup will be a “hole.” In the end, coach Lee Kang-chul has no choice but to wait for LOHAS to rebound from No. 1. “I just hope the players do well,” Lee said.
