What position will Kang Baek-ho play in his comeback?

Kang Baek-ho is the ‘sore finger’ of KT Wiz. He’s been a star since he joined the team in 2018. His name is the same as the main character of the popular basketball cartoon Slam Dunk.

The high school rookie hit 29 home runs in his debut season. With his wild style of baseball, tremendous power, and surprisingly precise hitting, it was easy to believe that he would grow into a future KT franchise star.

However, the young player’s baseball career took a turn for the worse. It started with the “gum incident” in the dugout at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which was held a year late due to COVID-19. It was the beginning of a slump. Before the 2022 season, he suffered a fractured toe that sidelined him for an extended period of time, and he was criticized for not getting stampeded until spring training after the season. 카지노사이트 He tried to redeem himself last season, but the “Arirang Songu” and the aftermath of his panic disorder wiped out nearly half of his season.

However, there are many signs of a rebound ahead of the 2024 season.

First, he received military service benefits for his gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. This will allow him to focus on baseball with less pressure on his mind. In addition, KT Nadahyun, the head coach of the team, gave Kang Baek-ho a boost. On paper, his salary was cut by nearly half last year, and the percentage drop was nothing to write home about. But KT froze his salary at 290 million won. It was a gesture of goodwill.

For Kang Baek-ho, a resurgence this season is important. His rival and one-year senior, Lee Jung-hoo, signed an astronomical contract with the San Francisco Giants. Kang, who has always had dreams of the big leagues, needs to start performing again to revive interest from overseas teams. Even if he’s not in the major leagues, he needs to continue to build up his stats from now on, so that he can think about the ‘jackpot’ of a free agent or non-free agent multi-year contract.

Kang Baek-ho also threw a game-changer. He expressed his desire to establish himself as an outfielder to coach Lee Kang-chul. In modern baseball, there are very few teams that use a single player in the designated hitter position, no matter how good he is with the bat. They rotate players with good bats to keep them healthy.

The problem is that Kang’s position is very ambiguous right now.

He was moved to first base ahead of the 2020 season due to concerns about his outfield defense. However, his defense at first base was also limited. That’s why veteran Park Byung-ho played almost full-time at first base. That’s why Lee has been preparing Moon Sang-chul as a backup at first base in this camp. It seems unlikely that Kang Baek-ho will play first base anymore. Last season, he alternated between first base, right field, and designated hitter.

The middle infield spot is fixed. The leadoff spot has been elevated. Rojas, the returning ‘Legendary MVP’, will almost certainly play right field. The left field spot belongs to tablesetter Kim Min-hyuk. In the current situation, Rojas can occasionally slide into right field when he is rested. The outfield is also not easy to get into.

He’s a designated hitter, after all, and he’ll need to put on a dominant performance with the bat if Lee wants to fill the order. Otherwise, depending on form, opposition, and other factors, the designated hitter spot could go to another player. 카지노사이트 추천 A prime example is Moon Sang-chul, who stepped up in Kang’s absence last season. Park Byung-ho also wants to play more games in the designated hitter role this season. Park Byung-ho is also 38 years old. He definitely needs to work on his fitness. If Park is the designated hitter, Kang Baek-ho will have to compete with Rojas when Moon Sang-chul plays first base. That means there will be games where he won’t be able to play.