As Kim Do-young returns, the value of Ryu Ji-hyeok is revealed more clearly. It is not simply to disparage Ryu Ji-hyeok’s recent batting pace.먹튀검증
KIA coach Kim Jong-guk brought Kim Do-young and Na Seong-beom back to the first team in a three-game series against KT last weekend. Kim Do-young played second base in two futures league games last week. However, coach Kim Jong-guk only appointed Kim Do-young as a third baseman throughout the game on the 23rd and 24th.
I thought that using Kim Do-young, who is not familiar with second base defense, as a second baseman right away from the first team would do more harm than good. Many people say that players who are good at shortstop have enough baseball sense to play all positions in the infield. However, the movement of the shortstop, third baseman, second baseman, and first baseman is clearly different. In particular, the shortstop and second baseman often have opposite movements.
In the end, Doyoung Kim was moved to third base. Instead, Ryu Ji-hyeok, who played an active role as the starting third baseman when Kim Do-young was absent, moved to second base. Still, Ryu Ji-hyeok has experience as a second baseman since his days at Doosan, so coach Kim seems to have trusted him more. In fact, Ryu Ji-hyeok did not look very awkward in the game on the 23rd and 24th.
In fact, it is not easy for Ryu Ji-hyeok to suddenly become a second baseman. Moreover, Ryu Ji-hyeok’s sense of hitting has fallen a little lately. He has been sluggish with a batting average of 0.143 in the last 10 games. His batting average for the season also fell to 0.275 as the 30% collapsed.
There are a lot of things to focus on hitting, but since the position has changed, it is natural that there are difficulties. However, Ryu Ji-hyeok is applauded for always doing his best. If Ryu Ji-hyeok couldn’t take over as second baseman while Kim Seon-bin was ruled out for the first half due to a fractured thumb, the KIA infield might have had to make a bigger change. There was only a scenario where Park Chan-ho went to second base and Kim Do-young went to shortstop.
This scenario should be seen as the ideal option in the long run. However, there can be pressure to completely change the core of the center line during the season. Moreover, if Kim Sun-bin returns in the second half, he will have to go through the process of change again. In many ways, Ryu Ji-hyeok went from third base to second base, and in the absence of Kim Sun-bin, the traffic was neatly organized in its own way.
Ryu Ji-hyeok was brought in through a trade with Hong Kun-hee in early June 2020. At the time, this infielder had little experience as a full-time starting pitcher. There were few eyes that expected it to do this much. In fact, he only appeared in 25 and 92 games in 2020 and 2021.
However, last year, he overtook Kim Do-young and played in 127 games as the starting third baseman, with a batting average of 0.274, 2 home runs, 48 RBIs, 55 points, and an OPS of 0.715. He has been sluggish this season with a batting average of 0.217 in June, but he is fine with a batting average of 0.275, 17 RBIs, 27 points, and an OPS of 0.674 for the season. In addition to his decent athleticism, he possesses moderately fast feet and a fine hitting ability.
When Kim Sun-bin returns in the second half, Ryu Ji-hyeok’s role will change again. If Doyoung Kim makes an explosive performance, he may return to the multi-backup. He can even play first base if necessary. He also appeared in 2 games this season. However, there are many candidates for first base, so the chances of him actually going to first base are not high.
KIA fans are excited again by Kim Do-young and Na Seong-beom’s splendid play. It is a great fortune for KIA to have a multi-man who can handle any role change like Dan Ryu Ji-hyeok. The value of a multi-infielder capable of 30% is quite high.