Guillermo Herredia, 33, a foreign hitter at SSG who is entering his second season this year, is a very pleasant player outside the stadium. His bright and positive energy has long been well known since he played in the Major League. Not only SSG players but also other players are often attracted to Herredia.
However, he is a player who rarely smiles in the ground. His face changes completely. He is serious in everything and does his best in every play. He hits well, catches well, and plays hard. His roar after one shot in a clutch situation mesmerizes fans. As such, he has established himself as one of the best foreign hitters in the KBO League.
Herredia’s value also came at the last of three consecutive games against KIA during the week at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Sunday. SSG, which has been suffering from a string of fielders recently, hired Herredia as the first player as even Park Sung-han, who had been the leadoff player in the previous two games, fell out due to thigh contusion. He was a forward-deployed player of Herredia, who had been in charge of No. 4. It might have been unfamiliar, but it was not at all. Rather, he showed the true value of an all-round player, leading his team to a 10-4 victory.
“Eredia, who made an infield hit by sprinting from the start of the first inning, made a multi-hit game early on by hitting a timely hit in the second inning with her team leading 2-1. In the sixth inning, when the lead was continued by 5-4 and 1-run difference, she hit a two-run shot to the left against Lim Ki-young to lead the team.” Lim Ki-young had been weak so far, but he broke this natural enemy relationship and saved the team. This home run was a very important part of the overall pattern of the game on the day and the flow that KIA immediately followed when SSG ran away.
Heredia became the winner of the game with three hits (one homer) and three RBIs and two runs from five times at bat on the day. “I played as the first hitter today, but rather than thinking about the meaning and responsibility, I had good results because I played as usual,” Herredia said after the game. “When I hit a home run, I focused more because the opponent’s record was not good. Waiting for the ball I could hit well led to the home run.”
Heredia has displayed outstanding offensive productivity with a batting average of 0.361, 15 homers and 98 RBIs, and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.917 in 116 games this season through Sunday. She has a batting average of 0.433. She has earned a reputation as a clutch player representing the league by producing RBIs and homers at a critical moment. Already, she is close to 100 RBIs. Herredia is racing toward the title this year. 메이저놀이터
With the season just around the corner, the most likely title will be batting champion. Heredia is leading the league with a batting average of 0.361. She has been batting in the mid-to-late 300s throughout the season, but her feeling still lingers until now, when the season is just around the corner. Victor Reyes (Lotte, No. 3) who was in a competition for batting champion has recently shown sluggish performance, and his batting average has dropped to 0.345, widening the gap. He is also maintaining distance from second-ranked Kim Do-young (KIA, 0.345).
“Honestly, I don’t care about the batting champion,” Herredia flatly said, “I think it’s a record that can be followed by focusing on every at-bat in every game. My goal is to finish the season in good health.” If there is no severe slump going forward, however, it can be expected that he will become the first batting champion in the club’s history. Although he is the type of player who hits rather than walks, he is also a player who rarely experiences a sharp slump due to his good contact ability and ability to send balls in various directions.
He is currently ranking first in the number of hits with 167 overall, followed by Austin Dean (115) in the league. He is also ranking ninth in the OPS. Analysts say that with this performance, he is highly likely to win his first Golden Glove award. Mel Rojas Jr. (0.989) and Koo Ja-wook (0.970) are among the two players who have better OPS than Herredia in the outfield category. As there are no other players other than the two who can say for sure that he has better overall offensive performance than Herredia, we should have high expectations for him as well.
The defensive award, which was newly established last year, is also likely to be awarded for the second consecutive year. Herredia won the defensive award in the left field category last year. In the defensive indicators, some players performed better than Herredia, but they received all the votes in the team vote. At that time, Herredia received 67 votes, which was the most votes considered in all positions. Players who watched Herredia’s play from the side recognized it, and this year, it is also close to winning the award as it is evaluated that her defense has not deteriorated particularly.
