Left hand injury Park Hae-min, return at least 4 weeks… Samsung ‘Lapak’ has a big hole in the outfield

The last 15 days professional baseball Daegu LG-Samsung match. In the second inning, Lee Sang-ho’s batted ball headed toward center field in 2nd and 1st and 2nd bases. Park Seung-gyu, a Samsung center fielder, also advanced to catch the catch, but stopped soon after. It was a very common defense scene, but at that moment, I couldn’t help but think of another picture. If there was Park Hae-min… .

Park Hae-min (31, photo) is an outfielder with the widest defensive range in the KBO League. He has all the key conditions needed as an outfielder, including basic speed, first start, and spotting a falling ball. It is not a coincidence that he plays two or two ‘super catches’ in a season.

On the 12th, Park Hae-min, who left the power due to a left thumb injury suffered during the defense of the first round of the double header match against Hanwha, is appearing larger than expected. Park Hae-min, who was diagnosed with a ruptured thumb ligament, is expected to take at least four weeks to return even if he chooses rehabilitation instead of surgery.

Park Hae-min played in center field in 102 of Samsung’s 108 games before the injury. During the same period, while adjustments were made to the composition of the outfield, such as Kim Heon-gon as left fielder in 62 games and Koo Ja-wook as right fielder appearing in 95 games, Hae-min Park mostly played a built-in role.

In the last match against Daegu LG on the 14th, the first match in the ‘Park Hae-min gap’ phase, Samsung moved left fielder Kim Heon-gon to center field while leaving right fielder Koo Ja-wook as it was, and set up Kim Dong-yup as left fielder. It was an adjustment that expected Kim Dong-yeop’s attack power while accepting the weakness of the outfield defense, but it became difficult to be sure because Kim Dong-yeop recorded one hit in five at-bats and showed a poor batting balance.

In the match against LG on the 15th, Kim Heon-gon returned to left field, and third-year professional outfielder Park Seung-gyu was raised as center fielder. However, this option could not be tested properly as Park Seung-gyu was rushed out of the game due to back pain while running at first base after hitting.

Samsung has been operating to reduce the defensive burden of outfielders in the left and right corners while center fielder Park Hae-min covers a wide range to the left and right. As for Park Hae-min’s vacancy, a partial decline in the outfield defense is inevitable. There is a possibility that foreign hitter Jose Pirella’s outfield appearance will increase, but it is difficult to predict how much he will be able to put in because he has pain in the sole of the foot.

The outfield of ‘Samsung Lions Park’ without Park Hae-min looks slightly wider. The task of bridging that gap is not easy.