Starting this season, KBO introduced defensive shift restrictions in the professional baseball KBO League, and expected full-heater left-handed hitters to benefit. This is because the slow left-handed hitters such as LG Kim Hyun-soo, Doosan Kim Jae-hwan, KIA Choi Hyung-woo and Samsung Oh Jae-il have lost a lot of hits due to defensive shifts in which three infielders are placed between the first and second bases.
Now, two infielders must be positioned on both sides based on the second base. It is also not possible for an infielder to go over to the outfield turf and position himself in defense.
Choi Joo-hwan of Kiwoom said at the spring camp, “I heard that the defensive shift will disappear, so I called for hurrah,” adding, “The batting average has decreased over the past three years when the shift has been activated. Last year, there were more than 20 hits caught by the shift (on first and second bases). Now, if the shift is gone, I have to prove it in a reset situation.”
More than anyone else, Choi began preparing for the new season with enthusiasm, as he slumped with a batting average of around 10 percent before eventually moving down to the second division. The Kiwoom team excluded Choi from the first division entry on Thursday. It gave them time to restructure their batting performance in the second division.
In 31 games this season, Choi has posted a batting average of 18.2 percent (22 hits in 121 times at bat), four homers, 17 RBIs, 13 runs on-base percentage of .259, a slugging percentage of .314, and an OPS of .573. He ranks 65th among 66 players who have played at bat, ahead of NC’s Kim Ju-won (.179). His OPS is the lowest.
Choi Joo-hwan, who signed a four-year FA contract with SSG for up to 4.2 billion won ahead of the 2021 season, moved to Kiwoom through the second draft in November last year. Choi hit .255 (100 hits in 426 at-bats) with 20 homers and 63 RBIs in 134 games last year.
Although his batting average and on-base percentage were low, he hit 20 home runs in five years since 2018 (26 home runs), and SSG drafted Choi for one reason or another, including salary cap. Kiwoom was the first to pick Choi as the first overall pick.
Kiwoom, whose offense power has weakened due to Lee Jung-hoo’s advance to the U.S., expected Choi Joo-hwan, who boasts of long-distance shots, to fill in to some extent. He often had RBIs at the center line through mid-April. However, his past 10 games have been in a severe slump, with a batting average of 111, four hits from 36 times at bat, one RBI and one run scored. 토토사이트
Lee Joo-hyung and Lee Hyung-jong were already out due to injuries, but Choi Joo-hwan failed to help the lineup. Coach Hong Won-ki decided to go to the second division for reorganization before Choi Joo-hwan got worse.
Choi has an in-play batting average of only 237. Batters who meet the stipulated requirements for at-bats have an average in-play batting average of 374, which is very low for Choi. He is the lowest among the 66. Choi had an in-play batting average of .31 percent last year. Choi may not be able to produce many hard hits and fly balls that can slip between defenders this year, but he is also unlucky.
