A rebound is desperately needed.
Song Seong-moon (26, Kiwoom) raised expectations as he was selected as the starting third baseman in this year’s spring camp. I started the season with a thrilling heart, but only a disappointing report card came back.
He was disappointing in his attack power. In 142 games this season, he batted 2.4 7 Lee (135 hits in 547 at-bats), just shy of the league average (0.260). He only hit his first double-digit home run in his debut with 13, but his on-base percentage was just 0.302. He ranked last in on-base percentage.
His sluggish hitting also affected his batting order. In the early and mid-season, Song Seong-moon was placed in the batting order 5 (203 at-bats), and was also appointed at 4 (80 at-bats) and 6 (84 at-bats). However, the more games he played, the more he was pushed down to No. 7 (142 plate appearances).
While he was disappointing at the plate, he was the exact opposite on defense. Among Kiwoom’s third basemen, Song Seong-moon played 1216 innings, the most. He was in a unique position. Jeon Byung-woo (30 36⅓ innings) and Kim Tae-jin (27 26 innings) followed. 메이저놀이터
It is difficult to find a third baseman who can push Song Seong-moon out of Kiwoom. Song Seong-moon defended third base with a more stable defense than Jeon Byung-woo and Kim Tae-jin. His defensive ability was also acknowledged by the command tower. Director Hong Won-ki praised him, saying, “The defense is doing its job well by 100%. Occasionally mistakes are made, but I’m adapting as a full-time third baseman for the first time this year, and I’m doing better than I have in terms of skills.”
Song Seong-moon, who became the immovable third baseman in the team, seems to need to wake up at bat. Except for Lee Jung-hoo (24) and Kim Hye-seong (23), no hitters played their part in Kiwoom this season. Next season, without Yasiel Puig (32), the weight of the batting line has fallen even more.
In Stove League, Kiwoom reinforced its strength by recruiting Won Jong-hyun (35) and Lee Hyeong-jong (33). It is a different move from the past when he was not active in recruiting free agents. Lee Jung-hoo is betting on a match for the next season before advancing to the major leagues. In order for Kiwoom to rise to the top, Song Seong-moon’s rebound seems desperate.