“For the time being, I think we need to increase the proportion of designated hitters.”
The Hanwha Eagles, led by Choi Won-ho, suffered a 3-4 loss in a rain-affected cold game against the LG Twins in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on April 15. The Eagles rallied back from a 3-1 deficit in the first inning, but an error by first baseman Chae Eun-sung in the top of the third inning allowed the leadoff hitter Park Hae-min to score.
It was Chae Eun-sung, whose defense has been lackluster of late. Coach Choi Won-ho said, “Eun-sung is also very tired. For the time being, I think we need to increase the proportion of designated hitters. Her movement has slowed down a lot. When her body is tired, her quickness and reaction speed are not as good as I think they should be.”
In addition to his defense, he hasn’t shown the same explosiveness at the plate as he did earlier in the season. After batting .291 in the first half of the season, Chae is batting just .225 in the second half. She batted .221 in August and is batting .214 in September, halfway through the season.
“When Eun Sung-i was at LG, there were quite a few times when she was not feeling well. But this season, he’s been playing almost at full strength, so it’s going to be tough. Especially this year, it’s been hot, and although he says he’s fine, I’m thinking that he needs to be used more often as a designated hitter because his movement in defense has slowed down.”
At the end of the season, it’s no surprise that he’s not fully fit. “None of the players in the pool are 100 percent,” Choi said. His hamstring is a little tight, his wrist is a little tight, and there 토토사이트 are things like that,” Choi said, “but it’s great that he hasn’t pulled out and played so far.”
The team is also considering calling up In-hwan Kim to fill in at first base. Kim was removed from the first team roster on August 27 and has been performing well in the Futures League since then. “We’ve received reports that he’s been getting better lately, so we’re looking at the timing,” Choi said of Kim.