The competitive structure has finally begun to take root in Hanwha. Even the second baseman who won the Golden Glove just two years ago cannot be relieved.
Hanwha’s starting second baseman Jeong Eun-won fell into the game after being replaced as a defensive midfielder in the 8th inning against Doosan in Daejeon on the 12th. Then, against Doosan on the 13th, he was excluded from the selection. Moon Hyun-bin, a rookie who has been fixed as center fielder since the end of May, was named to the starting lineup as a second baseman for the 4th time in 79 days.
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho said, “Moon Hyun-bin was second baseman (his main position) and didn’t play and practiced all the time. Recently, there have been a lot of mistakes in the defense of center field. The corner outfield is weak, but the center is also weak, so the outfield defense has become very weak. He said, “If Moon Hyun-bin goes to second base, we will naturally compete,” hinting at the competitive structure between Jung Eun-won and Moon Hyun-bin.
Manager Choi Won-ho said, “If the defense is weak, the batting must be indispensable, but both (in the center field and second base position) are not in their current state. Now, with about a third of the season left, I think we should try a little more variety. We have to strengthen the defense more than now,” he said. “If it is not irreplaceable, it is all competition. Where is the place where you put saliva? If you don’t like it, you have to make it non-substitute,” he emphasized.
In the first year of his debut in 2018, Jeong Eun-won, who settled in the first team by pushing out ‘Legend second baseman’ Jeong Geun-woo, has established himself as a full-time starter since 2019. In 2021, he made a big success with a batting average of 2.8% (140 hits in 495 at bats), 6 homers, 39 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, 105 walks, and an on-base rate of 4.7% in 139 games.
Last year, he posted a personal record of 8 homers and 49 RBIs, but was shaken by a personal record of 17 errors in defense. He is only 46th out of 48 batters in regulation at bats this year with a batting average of 2.2 8 Lee (74 hits in 324 at-bats) in 94 games. 토토 The starting pitcher didn’t die, picking up 56 walks, the second most in the league, and his on-base percentage was 31st (.346). However, his batting average is so low that it is below league average.
Regarding Jeong Eun-won’s sluggish performance, Choi said, “I must have a lot of thoughts. At the start of this year’s season, there was the Asian Games, so it must have been ambitious. However, as the blows do not work as intended, the defense is also affected. As the stress increased, my stamina decreased a lot, and various complex reasons overlapped,” he said. “I have no choice but to do well.”
While Jung Eun-won faltered, newcomer Moon Hyun-bin emerged as a powerful check. Moon Hyun-bin, who was nominated for the top 11 overall in the second round of this year by Hanwha, has been playing in the first team since the opening game. In 91 games, he batted 2.5 1 Lee (72 hits in 287 at-bats) with 3 homers and 28 RBIs, showing off his batting prowess. Uncharacteristically for a 19-year-old, he has his own batting zone and is evaluated to have a good attitude to see the ball.
Moon Hyun-bin, whose main position was a second baseman in high school, came to Hanwha and had an immovable starter Jeong Eun-won, so the percentage of field trips in center field was much higher. He played 519 innings in 70 games (64 starts), the most as a center fielder, while only 12 games (4 starts) and 56 innings as a second baseman. As a shortstop, he fielded 48 innings in 9 games (5 starts) and 1 game and 1 inning as a third baseman, but due to team circumstances, he became a built-in center fielder from the end of May.
Even in a situation where his position as the main center fielder was solidified, he did not give up second base by steadily digesting infield defense practice before the game. After the Doosan match on the 13th, when he came out as second baseman after 79 days, Moon Hyun-bin said, “I always have a desire for the infield. He doesn’t want to give up the infield. He has been playing an infielder all this time, and I think I can show my strengths more in this position. Compared to other outfield seniors, long hits are not my strength. It is a style of playing fast running base while hitting a strong batted ball. Even defensively, he is confident that there is more to show in the infield. He is not without confidence even if he runs into the outfield, but his goal is to establish himself as an infielder in the pros.”
As the fall baseball competition gradually moves away, it is time for Hanwha to think about next year. The basis of a strong team is always defense, and coach Choi is drawing a competitive landscape and using various players to strengthen the overall defense for the remaining period. In the meantime, Hanwha lacked backup power to keep the main players nervous, and the internal competition system was not properly equipped.
The skills of the main players who were not stimulated stagnated, which led to the weakening of the team power. It was the decisive reason for Hanwha’s long dark period, but now the atmosphere has changed. Just as Lee Do-yoon, who was a backup in his later years, took the starting shortstop position, tension began to flow at second base amid coach Choi Won-ho’s induction of internal competition.