Strike out as many hits as you hit. The command tower rather sees it positively. This is director Hong Won-ki’s gaze toward Lee Joo-hyung (22, Kiwoom Heroes). 

Lee Joo-hyung is the player who draws 메이저사이트 the most attention in the second half. After being nominated by the LG Twins in the second round of the 2020 2nd Rookie Draft, he swapped uniforms with third-choice pitcher Choi Won-joon on the 29th of last month and became a member of the “Hero Corps” Kiwoom. He was expected to be an A-class prospect, but he only played 32 games in the first team because the depth of the LG outfield was so thick. However, after transferring to Kiwoom, his potential was revealed. In 27 games he appeared in, he had a batting average of . 327 with 3 home runs, 21 RBIs and 18 runs scored. 

Lee Joo-hyung said that when he was a member of LG, Lee Ho-jun, hitting coach, advised him to ‘never change the current batting stance’. Although his performance was not verified in the first team, his smooth and concise hitting mechanism was outstanding even in the eyes of coach Lee Ho-jun, who was a representative hitter for Korean baseball.

After moving to Kiwoom, Lee Joo-hyung continued to play and continued to exceed expectations. He occupied the left fielder of Kiwoom, which was vacant. Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki said, “Lee Joo-hyung is doing well not only in attack but also in defense and running. He is still desperate and can feel his thirst (for baseball).” 

There are also points of improvement. A little too many strikeouts. He recorded 29 from his first game (July 29) to the 30th in a Kiwoom uniform. During this period, he was the second-most among all hitters in the league. Lee Joo-hyung ranked 3rd in monthly hits (33) and 1st in strikeouts (27) in August. 

He was particularly weak on his low-course breaking balls. It was the same in the match against the Lotte Giants in Gocheok on the 8th, when he suffered 5 strikeouts in one game. He struck out three on an outside (by lefties) slider from opposing lefty starting pitcher Charlie Barnes. In the 7th and 9th innings, setup man Koo Seung-min and closer Kim Won-joong’s forkballs were also unable to cope. 

Head coach Hong Won-ki sees strengths. He said, “A player who makes an in-play batting ball for any type of pitch and any type of pitcher and swings his own is Lee Joo-hyung. He doesn’t just view a lot of miss swings as a negative.” He continued, “It also means that he is confident in his own swing. Above all, he thinks that with more experience he will get better. (Lotte) Even in the match against Barnes, when we met for the second time (against Gocheok Lotte on the 18th), he showed a different appearance from the previous match (with 3 strikeouts), such as hitting a hit.” 

Right now, he has a lot of strikeouts, but that means he can improve with experience. Coach Hong Won-ki’s targets are injuries and slumps, not strikeouts. Coach Hong said, “Because this is the first time Lee Joo-hyung has been playing consistently, it is important to know how to cope when his stamina drops. He asked for the same even when the appearance (grades) he did not want came out.”