Reporter Kim Dong-yoon of Star News | 2023.06.15 05:41
Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates) once again failed to reach 20 stolen bases for the second time as a Korean major leaguer. However, the local media in Pittsburgh did not hold back their praise for Fae Ji-hwan. The American media Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on the 14th (Korea time), “Pittsburgh will not be surprised to see that Bae Ji-hwan has quickly adapted to the game,” highlighting Bae Ji-hwan’s rapid growth on after being flagged for base running errors at the end of May. .
During March and April, Ji-hwan Bae made 11 out of 12 steal attempts, emerging as a strong contender for steals in the National League. However, in the first 15 games of May, he failed four of his six base-stealing attempts, and his rise was dampened. In particular, in a home game against the Texas Rangers on the 24th of last month, he recorded 2 hits in 3 at-bats, but both errors were made on the base and he heard bitter criticism from the local media. In the 3rd inning, the first hit was caught by Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi and he was out on 1st base.
At the time, Pittsburgh coach Derek Shelton said, “If you decide to run once, you have to run like it is.” Bae Ji-hwan’s (our team’s) quick feet are a real weapon, but if you use them carelessly, we can’t use them (when needed).
About 15 days later, Bae Ji-hwan has definitely changed. After that, he played in 16 games and added 6 stolen bases, but only missed once. On this day (14th), it was the first time that the Chicago Cubs and a Major League Baseball away game held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, tried to steal 2nd from 1st in the 4th inning, but it failed. after reading a video. At the same time, he delayed the opportunity to become the second Korean major leaguer to record 20 stolen bases in one season after Choo Shin-soo (41, SSG Landers).
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said, “Bae Ji-hwan has been playing a little more carefully since mid-May. He changed his approach at the plate to make stronger contact even at the cost of power.”
According to the media, after failing to steal a base against Arizona on the 21st of last month, Pittsburgh made Bae Ji-hwan understand the situation in which he could take risks and the situation in which he should pay attention. Bae Ji-hwan said, “Every hitter wants to hit a home run. But I tried to do what I can do better. Hit the ball while playing and go out on base to score. I adapted that. “I tried read if I make a mistake, the club explains ‘something is better’. (Everyone) is trying to make me a better player.”
Bae Ji-hwan’s main power was overwhelming even though he made some adjustments to increase the steal success rate. According to Baseball Savant, the official major league statistics site, Bae Ji-hwan’s sprint speed (top speed) was in the top 2% of the major leaguers (ML).
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, “Ji-hwan Bae is incredibly fast. Only 11 major leaguers run faster than his average sprint speed (29.7 feet per second). Bae’s average time to base first is 4.05 seconds, which is 4.05 seconds. in the majors. 1 in the league,” he said, “if there was Bae Ji-hwan, who slowed down so much, the Pittsburgh club would love his talent. Although he sometimes judging the ball to avoid the ball, Bae Ji- hwan was great in the center field. Honestly, right now he could be the best center fielder option in Pittsburgh.”
[저작권자 @머니투데이, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
