It is known that Korean major leaguers, who received attention through the World Baseball Classic (WBC), are cruising throughout the season.
St. Louis’ Tommy Edman (Korean name: Kwak Hyeon-soo), who started with the list of interests first and entered the final entry, has been playing as a starting player since the opening and is still performing well with a significant figure within the team. Edmund’s performance in the last 7 games is 2 hits in 23 at-bats, but he is recording a batting average of 0.258, 6 homers, 21 RBIs and 8 stolen bases for the season. Edmund, who is aiming for 30 or more steals three years in a row, is currently leading the team in stolen bases.
However, as St. Louis is currently running at the bottom of the globe, Edmund himself has the task of overcoming the recent sluggishness.
At the time of the WBC, Edmon was not the only one on the Korean national team’s interest list. Among the batters, there was also Robert Lefsnyder (Korean name: Kim Jeong-tae). At the time of his final entry selection, his wife’s childbirth and personal circumstances, which had not yet fully established himself within the team, forced him to decline the WBC. This season, he is also occupying a spot in Boston as a backup member.
However, despite being a backup member, he seems to be establishing himself as an indispensable presence within the team by performing like Altoran. He’s been decent, going 5-for-15 with a .333 batting average in his last seven games. In particular, he contributes greatly to his team with an on-base percentage of over 40%. He currently has 23 hits in 81 at-bats (one home run) and 17 RBI, a batting average of .284 and an on-base percentage of .420. In response, Boston signed an extended contract with him even during the season. It is a contract with a club option for $1.8 million in 2024 and $2.5 million in 2025. Last year, Lefsnyder recorded an on-base percentage of 0.393.메이저놀이터
Their performance is in line with Ha-seong Kim (San Diego) and Bae Ji-hwan (Pittsburgh), creating a warm scene. It will be interesting to see if they get a national call together at the next WBC.