“I just couldn’t. There were technical problems, and I didn’t have confidence because I didn’t get results.”
KIA Tigers catcher Han Seung-taek (29) blamed himself over the receiver on the 3rd. His calm voice, saying that he was working hard on personal training going back and forth between his home in Gyeonggi-do and Seoul, showed a sense of responsibility ahead of the new season.
Han Seung-taek’s last season, which marked his 10th year since his professional debut, left a great regret not only for the team and fans, but also for himself. Right after the opening, Kim Min-sik mainly wore a mask, and at the end of April, Park Dong-won wore a KIA uniform as a trade. Han Seung-taek, who was pushed out of the competition for starting position, only played in 65 games, including substitutions.
The biggest problem was the blow. The bat has been cited as a chronic weakness throughout his pro career, but his slump last season was even worse. He entered 119 plate appearances and only had 18 hits. There was only one home run. His batting average plummeted to 0.176, the second lowest since his debut. Han Seung-taek said, “There weren’t many business trip opportunities, and he seemed to have lost his confidence because the results weren’t coming out.” At this rate, recovery from the main game seemed far off.
But as the years passed, things changed. Park Dong-won left the team as a free agent (FA) after one season. It was a stove league where key catchers poured into the market at once, but KIA closed its wallet early. Han Seung-taek suddenly became the best catcher.
It’s not just the senior year. Even if you look at the career of the 1st team, there is currently no card like Han Seung-taek in the KIA. The same goes for juniors such as Shin Beom-soo and Kim Seon-woo, who have eaten a pot of rice, as well as Joo Hyo-sang, who was traded from Kiwoom Heroes in November last year. This is the reason why Han Seung-taek is evaluated as the most advanced in the competition for the starting position, putting aside the principled position of ‘giving a chance to a player who proves his competitiveness in the camp’.
His defensive skills, which have been well-received right after his debut, are one of the best in the league. Having seen catchers since his student days, it is said that his fundamentals are solid and his lead is stable. He said, “I have never changed the way I throw the ball since his debut,” but he also achieved growth in terms of stealing rate (34.6%) last season. 메이저놀이터
In the end, the key is to turn around and hit again. Han Seung-taek, who says he is focusing on weight training and balance exercises to improve physical strength during the off-season, left room for modification of his swing form. He said, “The swing should come out quickly (succinctly) at the plate, but because I couldn’t do that, I couldn’t cope with the fast ball.”
In addition to Han Seung-taek, who fell into slump, it was the last season that left regret for KIA, who ‘only tasted’ fall baseball in 5th place. Han Seung-taek said, “I think that if I do well, the team will be able to go to a higher place.” As for his personal goal, he presented a resolution instead of a specific figure. He said, “My goal is to go out the most throughout my career in terms of games, at-bats, and defense,” and pledged, “I will spend a season without getting sick.”