A team that doesn’t have a single 3-hitter. But what if we change the criteria to the second half of the season instead of the full season?
In the second half of the season, the Hanwha Eagles have only three hitters with more than 80 at-bats, including Ahn Chi-hong, Chae Eun-sung, and Moon Hyun-bin.
Unlike the other two, who are free agent veterans, Moon is a 20-year-old prospect in his second year. Last year, he bounced around the infield, playing second base and center field.
This year, he’s rooted in the infield. While his early-season slump resulted in fewer games (100 vs. 68), at-bats (428 vs. 248), and hits (114 vs. 68) than last year, he picked up his game in the second half, posting a 3-for-5 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.826.
Hanwha’s first fall baseball challenge in six years came up short. Still, it was a fiercely contested season for the top five with the appointment of manager Kim Kyung-moon.
From mid-September, he started playing third base in place of Noh Si-hwan, who was suffering from physical strain. He hasn’t been used to playing the position as much as he is used to, with the occasional error, but the manager wants to give him as many at-bats as possible.
Despite being a left-handed hitter,
Moon is stronger against left-handed pitchers (2.5-for-4) than right-handed pitchers (3.2-for-8). In particular, against Barnes (Lotte Giants), the self-proclaimed “left-handed lion,” 카지노사이트 he went 5-for-10 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Moon said, “I’m confident in my fastball and slider. If I can set up the strike zone well, I can hit good pitches. Right now, I’m more confident against left-handed pitchers than right-handed pitchers,” he said. Even in big situations, such as the game-winning hit against Barnes against Lotte in Daejeon on the 22nd, he doesn’t shy away from them. “Actually, there were a lot of lucky hits against Barnes. I wouldn’t put too much importance on it,” he explained.
“At the beginning of the season, I was relying on results. Now I’m focusing on the swings and misses I can make. So naturally, good results are coming.”
“I don’t have a fixed batting order or position, but I’m happy to go out there because the coach cares about me. I just do my best in the field,” he emphasized. “I’m only practicing second and third base right now,” he said of the possibility of a possible shortstop switch.
“This year has been a good year for me in terms of mindset and mentality, and I’ve learned how to approach the game and how to deal with crises. If there is a similar crisis next year, I think I will be able to handle it well.”