Leadoff and shortstop. Was it still a heavy burden for 20-year-old Kim Do-young?
Due to injury to starting shortstop Park Chan-ho, he has played leadoff and shortstop for the KIA Tigers for the past three games. Kim Do-young’s batting record is no hits in 12 at-bats. He only got on base once (walk). His batting average, which was over .300, dropped to .208 and 7 %, and his OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) sank below 0.8.스포츠토토
In the end, KIA coach Kim Jong-guk, who was watching, made a decision.
Coach Kim, who met at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 18th, said, “We have changed the batting order and defense. Choi Won-jun will play first base and Kim Do-young will play second base. As for the defensive position, Kim Do-young will be assigned third base.”
Although he made a mistake the day before, Kim Do-young’s defense was not the problem. Coach Kim said, “There are not many batted balls from the shortstop, so there is nothing to evaluate. I think there was about one hit per game. Yesterday, there was only an error and a dive in the third period.”
He continued, “I played shortstop until high school, but in the pros, I was always a third baseman. The quality of batted balls and defensive movements are very different. The formation is a little different, but I don’t think my batting is shaken due to the defensive burden. I’m also batting at number 4. “It can be burdensome as a hitter, but as a leadoff player…” he tilted his head.
Rather than drawing a line between shortstop or leadoff and Kim Do-young, it seems like they are returning it to the way it was when he was hitting well since he was so sluggish. While Kim Do-young is unable to hit or even get on base, KIA is also on a four-game losing streak. Chan-ho Park’s enthusiastic cheering from the ‘first row of the dugout’ did not bear fruit.
With Park Chan-ho missing and Kim Do-young moving, it also has the meaning of reinforcing the hole-filled third base. This is because Choi Jeong-yong and Byun Woo-hyuk, who replaced Kim Do-young at third base, made mistakes one after another, shaking the entire infield.
The cause of the batting slump was literally found in the batting posture. Coach Kim said, “A lot of power was put into the hitting mechanics. The upper body was strained and looked stiff. I thought ‘I’m here’, but as it was delayed, I ended up with a foul. It would have been a good hit if it had been more concise,” he said. “I wish I could swing. I also talked about this with the hitting coach (Beom-ho Lee),” he explained.
“I think it would be better for Kim Do-young to play third base consistently, and for Kim Gyu-seong, who has a lot of professional experience, to play shortstop. Park Chan-ho can also step up as a big defender in the second half. We will operate according to the situation.”