“I had high hopes, but with the injury…” 24-year-old Hye-Sung Special is good… New infield commander needed ‘just the guy’

“I had high hopes, but with the injury…” 24-year-old Hye-Sung Special is good… New infield commander needed ‘just the guy’

“I had high hopes, actually…”

In 104 games, 388 at-bats, 102 hits, .263 batting average, 5 home runs, 60 RBI, 43 runs scored, .683 OPS, .288 slugging percentage. Not bad, but not spectacular either. For a player who is supposed to be the center fielder for the long term, this is a disappointment.

This is Kiwoom Heroes infielder Song Seong-moon (27). On April 2, he broke his pinky finger while slamming a chair in the dugout after making a crucial error against Gocheok Hanwha Jeonseo and was sidelined for about a month and a half. It was the latest in a long parade of injuries for Kiwoom this season.

He returned from military service at the end of the 2021 season and played in 142 games last year, hitting .247 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs. As a result, he played mostly at third base after recovering from a finger injury and was not a clear upgrade.

Before the game against the Gwangju KIA Tigers on April 11, manager Hong Won-ki said, “We need to have a player in the infield who can support Kim Hye-sung with his bat. I had high hopes for Song Seong-moon, but he had a tough season as he was injured right at the start of the season. If Song Sung-moon improves next year, it will be a big boost for the batting lineup.”토토사이트

As it turns out, Kim started playing center field in 2018, when Kim Hye-sung broke into the first team. While Kim has developed into one of the best center fielders in the KBO, Song’s progress has been relatively slow. Still, manager Hong Won-ki believed that Song could be a solid third baseman and gave him a chance after his arrival, but he must have been frustrated.

Aside from Kim Hye-sung, there is no clear-cut young outfielder in the infield. Kim Hwi-jip, a 2002-born infielder who plays shortstop and third base, is a potential threat to Song Sung-moon. Ideally, Kim Hwi-jip and Song Sung-moon would be a long-term left-center infield pairing.

At first base, Lim Ji-yeol was decent at the end of the season, and veteran Lee Won-seok can cover. With Kim Hye-sung also unlikely to go overseas, Kiwoom will need to organize its infield somewhat next year. For now, manager Hong Won-ki will check out more players at the Wonju finalization camp.

However, it’s also true that Song Sung-moon is the player who should be the centerpiece based on his age and performance. It’s not just a case of managerial greed. He’s already played 538 games for the first team. And he’s in his late 20s. He needs to show something more next year.