Unbeknownst to me, I was too passive at bat. This year, I will show you a lot of hitting and going out.”
You cannot record an on-base percentage of 0.456 if you have a good starting pitch. When an accurate pioneering eye and extreme contact ability are accompanied, the on-base rate is in the mid-40% range. LG Hong Chang-ki (30), who had a phenomenal performance in the 2021 season, returned to his appearance at the time. Resist balls that are out of the strike zone, and hit balls that come in hard. He moves precisely like a machine, stepping on the base non-stop.
He is currently the scariest hitter in the league. Hong Chang-ki played 10 games until the match against Sajik Lotte on the 12th, recording a batting average of 0.353 and an on-base percentage of 0.532. OPS is 1.032. During the Arizona spring camp in February, he looked back on his disappointing appearance last year and pledged to rebound, but that promise is being realized.
At the camp, Hong Chang-ki said, “As I was injured last year, my good appearance at bat disappeared. Previously, he batted with the feeling that he was going to play from the top position. However, after returning from injury, the preparation was delayed and the timing was not right. He was just trying to hit the ball because his timing was always too late. He had no choice but to have poor batting quality,” he said. This year, I will show you a lot of hitting and going out.”
The focus of the camp period was the recovery of activeness. He spent a lot of time fixing something that had rushed over his wrist without his knowledge. With hitting coach Lee Ho-jun, I decided to keep the feeling of hitting the ball hard and sending it forward. Hong Chang-ki said, “Last year, there were too many grounders on second base. I want to send a lot of batted balls to the outfield this year. I’m not a home run hitter, but I can hit a lot of doubles. He will make the ball good,” he said, revealing the direction he is pursuing.
He was, in fact, a hitter who also made a lot of doubles. He was tied for 16th in the league in this category with 29 doubles in 2020, when he made the jump to a starter, and was named 13th in the league in this category with 26 doubles in 2021, when he won the Golden Gloves. He has a good swing trajectory and consistently produces batted balls that split between right-middle and left-middle. He not only has an excellent starting line, but also has a wide batting zone and good hitting quality like Jose Fernandez, who played for Doosan until last year.
Last year, however, his doubles plummeted to 19. He only had 525 plate appearances due to injuries, but in 2020, when he hit 29 doubles, he had 507 plate appearances, fewer than at the time. As Hong Chang-ki himself revealed, there were many aspects of him passively relying only on the pioneering plan in his at-bat.
And the promise during the camp this season is becoming a reality. In 48 at-bats, there are three doubles and one triple. If you simply calculate, you hit 43 doubles at the end of the season. Of course, it is not possible to maintain the current batting condition throughout the season, but the changed direction is returning Hong Chang-ki to what he was when he was most frightened.
In the match against Sajik Lotte on the 12th, he hit a total of three hits, including one double and one triple, and also picked a walk and played on four bases. The main character was Kim Hyun-soo, who scored the final round, but there was Hong Chang-ki in most of the scoring process. The appearance of the ‘changi twins’ in 2021 has been reproduced intact.
After the game, Hong Chang-ki said,토스카지노 “When facing a good pitcher like Park Se-woong, I try to compete with a fast count. He decided to hit a ball that came in like a fastball. While trying to hit actively, he came out with a hit that was well suited to the timing of the breaking ball,” he said. I am happy that I have helped the team with hits and walks. (Kim) Hyeonsu hyung, (Park) Haemin hyung, and (Park) Dongwon hyung give me a lot of advice. It seems to be getting better and better.” He smiled.
In the winter of 2021, Hong Chang-ki won the Outfielder Golden Glove alongside Lee Jung-hoo and Koo Ja-wook. It was the moment when he became a left-handed hitter representing the KBO League. And this year, he is regaining the form of a flawless hitter.