Will the shortstop top 2 system solidify? Or will this man, Park Chan-ho (KIA), who took a career high, cause a crack in this composition?
The best shortstop in the KBO League in the 2022 season was the Yanggang system of Golden Glover Oh Ji-hwan (32, LG) and Golden Glove runner-up Park Seong-han (24, SSG). In terms of shortstop WAR (contribution to victory against substitute players), Oh Ji-hwan (6.44) and Park Seong-han (4.02) ranked first and second respectively (based on stats below).
And Park Chan-ho of the KIA Tigers posted a 3.34 WAR, ranking third in the shortstop league category. Last year was a career high season for Park Chan-ho as an individual.
Last year, Park Chan-ho had the best season by becoming the king of stolen bases. It wasn’t just stealing. His batting average (0.272) – on-base percentage (0.344) – slugging percentage (0.341) were also his best individual season since his professional debut. His cumulative record was also 134 hits -81 runs scored -42 stolen bases -57 walks, all personal bests in a single season since his debut.
Among Park Chan-ho’s results, what was also encouraging was that his serious pioneering plan, which reached 83 and 87 strikeouts in 2019 and 2020, respectively, while his batting average was in the upper-mid half of 20. that it has increased slightly.
At the same time, Park Chan-ho’s presence stood out in defense. Park Chan-ho also ranked 4th in the shortstop league in defense win contribution to average (WAAwithADJ) (0.863). Although he committed 22 errors, he showed stable catching and throwing ability and kept the infield firmly as a shortstop. From the beginning of his debut, he was evaluated as more stable in terms of defensive power, which was an advantage.
Thanks to these performances, Park Chan-ho renewed his contract with an annual salary of 200 million won, up 66.7% from last year’s annual salary of 120 million won, recording the largest increase in the team and at the same time reaching the 200 million won level for the first time as an individual. This is the part where you can see how highly the KIA appreciated Park Chan-ho’s contribution.
At the same time, Park Chan-ho now needs to show better results and higher concentration in the offense and defense to take a leap forward. 온라인바카라
First of all, in the case of Oh Ji-hwan, a comparison target, he hit 25 homers, the most for a shortstop last year, and recorded a slugging percentage of 0.470, also the highest, playing a role as a center hitter in the other lineup. Park Seong-han also played a good role in the top and bottom batting lines, posting a balanced performance of batting average 0.298 / on-base percentage 0.375 / slugging percentage 0.374.
Park Chan-ho served as the first leadoff hitter for most of last year, recording a batting average of 0.285/3 home run, 29 RBIs, and 39 walks, the best in his batting order. However, considering the batting order in which he should play the role of leading the attack, it is true that batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage all fell. Also, as mentioned earlier, even if he has improved a lot, his high strikeouts and low walks are still weaknesses that need to be improved.
The same goes for defense. Even last year, Park Chan-ho made one fatal mistake at every key point of the season, missing an easy hit due to a lack of concentration. That’s why he was remembered by many as a so-called ‘clutch error’ that affected the team’s defeat even though he played excellent defense throughout the season. In the end, since it is not a problem such as lack of basic skills, this is also a task that Park Chan-ho can solve even this season.
Can Park Chan-ho, who has grown a step by taking a career high in the 2022 season, can shake the composition of Yanggang, the best shortstop in the league, with further growth in the offense and defense this year.