The Hanwha Eagles successfully strengthened its center line by recruiting shortstop Shim Woo-joon from the FA market. At the request of manager Kim Kyung-moon, who values defense, Shim was brought to the center line. Catchers Choi Jae-hoon, second baseman An Chi-hong, Hwang Young-mook, Moon Hyun-bin, and shortstop Shim Woo-joon are all stable, but there is one last puzzle left. They are the center and center field of the outfield.
Hanwha has been struggling with center field problems for years. After the 2020 season, he started rebuilding by releasing veteran Lee Yong-kyu, and in 2021, eight young players started as starting center field, but none of them came out. In 2022, foreign batter Mike Turkman played as the main center fielder, but the contract was not renewed and ended in a one-year relationship.
Hanwha’s rotation of center field continued in 2023. Rookie Moon Hyun-bin, who joined the infield, played the most innings as a center fielder, but was fixed as second baseman from August. Since then, Lee Jin-young has increased his weight to center field, but he has not given the impression that he has firmly established himself.
As many as 10 players have played in center field at least once this year. Starting with opening player Kim Kang-min (15 matches), Lim Jong-chan, Lee Jin-young (15 matches), Jung Eun-won (6 matches), Lee Won-seok (22 matches), Jang Jin-hyuk (66 matches), EuroGyeol (2 matches), Jonathan Peraza, Kwon Kwang-min, and Lee Sang-hyuk (1 match) took turns as starting center field.
Jang Jin-hyuk played as center fielder the most. Jang, who was appointed as manager after Kim Kyung-moon in early June, spent his career high season batting average of 263 (76 hits in 289 times at bat) in 99 games with nine homers, 44 RBIs, and 14 steals, OPS.747. Although his performance was not full-time, he showed growth in the second half of the season, and is expected to become a candidate for the main center fielder next year as well.
However, Jang Jin-hyuk left the team on the 18th as a compensation player for pitcher Um Sang-baek, who came to Hanwha as an FA. Hanwha’s 25-member protective player list, which has selected many promising players as top draft picks in recent years, was tight, and Jang Jin-hyuk, who will turn 32 next year, escaped as a compensation player. The result also reflects the composition of the team with many similar outfielders. It is time to choose and focus, not just turn it around.
The Hanwha Eagles did not remove Jang from the list of protected players without making any calculations. Regardless of Jang’s departure, the team is seeking center field as a new foreign hitter first. Peraza had strong impact in the early and mid-season, but had severe hitting fluctuations and unstable defense in the corner outfield. His weaknesses in offense and defense were evident, and his on-field evaluation and credibility also declined. Eventually, the team focused on players who can become center field defenders as new foreign hitters. 온라인카지노
There are risks in many ways because it is not easy to find a foreign center fielder with long-shot power. Regardless of foreign hitters, the growth of domestic center fielder resources is essential even in the long run. At the Miyazaki Finishing Camp in Japan, center fielder resources such as Lee Jin-young, Lim Jong-chan, Lee Won-seok, Euro Gyeol and Lee Sang-hyuk are sweating profusely. The best scenario for Hanwha is that Lee Jin-young, who showed his potential as a starting player by hitting 10 home runs in 2023, and Lim Jong-chan, who has strong shoulders and strong long-shot power and good tools, will grow up.
However, looking coldly, there is no center fielder who can be counted as the mainstay right now. Even foreign batters will know only when they open the lid. This is why Jang’s vacancy does not seem as simple as that. Depending on which foreign hitter is coming, a breakthrough may be made through trade. During the season, Hanwha matched trade cards with several teams to recruit center fielder. Although it was not achieved due to various reasons, off-season games can always be revived.
