Who will be the leadoff for the Hanwha Eagles?
Hanwha recruited Brian O’Grady (29) this winter. The terms of the contract are a total of $900,000, including an annual salary of $700,000 and an incentive of $200,000. It is evaluated as a resource for a power hitter-type outfielder who can hit more than 20 homers. O’Grady has played in the United States and Japan. It is considered a resource that will lead Hanwha’s central lineup.
General Manager Hyuk Son expressed his anticipation, saying, “I played a full-time season in Seibu, Japan. I also gained experience in being intensively checked by opposing pitchers in the center of the batting line. It will help me quickly adapt to the KBO league.”
Hanwha chose to break up with Mike Tuckman, who played an active role last season, while signing a contract with O’Grady. Although Tuckman 카지노 lacked his long hitting power, he performed Hanwha’s lead-off duty based on his forward pitching and base sense. Tuchman had a batting average of 0.289, an on-base percentage of 0.366, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.796 in 144 games. He appeared in 90 games as a No. 1 hitter, and led off the most by a Hanwha player.
Now, without Tuchman, Hanwha must find a new leadoff this season. The most likely candidate is Eun-won Jeong. In the 2021 season, Jeong Eun-won was placed in the first batting order with an excellent pioneering eye and sophisticated batting ability. Jung Eun-won revealed her true value by setting the record for the youngest 100 walks ever. And he won the second baseman’s Golden Glove.
However, the following year, Jeong Eun-won withdrew from the leadoff. The problem was that he slightly changed his batting stance. Due to the different way of looking at the ball, things that had been established in the past were disrupted. He suffered ups and downs, and was eventually placed in the bottom lineup. Over the course of the season, Jeong Eun-won returned to normal, recording a batting average of 0.274 and an on-base percentage of 0.377 in 140 games. His on-base percentage is 11th in the entire league and 1st if you narrow it down to Hanhwa.
Hanwha has hitters to take charge of the central batting line, such as Chae Eun-seong, O’Grady, and Noh Si-hwan. They need a table setter to create scoring chances in front of them. I wonder if Jung Eun-won will be re-appointed as a leadoff or if another hitter will take his place.