It is a great leap forward of foreign hitters, which is one of the characteristics of this season. Foreign hitters are leading the league in both batting average and home run categories. It seems to take a lot of individual titles. It is not a specific player’s ball. Overall, he is good. Most foreign pitchers have their concerns, but the season is passing by without much thought for foreign hitters.
However, among the 10 teams, there is only one team that has not benefited from foreign hitters, and this is Samsung. When I opened the lid, I thought I picked Samsung for a reason, but it didn’t work out as I thought. Samsung recruited David McKinnon (30), who experienced Japanese pro baseball ahead of this season. He had good on-base percentage and good defense. As he also hit double-digit homers in Japan, the KBO league expected more than 20 homers. However, his long hit was too short of expectations.
McKinnon’s batting average of 0.294 and on-base percentage of 0.381 in 72 games this season were not that bad. He only had four homers, however. He expected a shot from a foreign player, but ended up moving in a completely different direction. His slugging percentage stood at 0.386, which is similar to the on-base percentage. Consequently, he took the chance to win the game in the second half of the season. He ousted McKinnon and hired Ruben Cardenas. He specialized in long-distance shots. He invested a total of 477,000 dollars. I could read his expectations.
Samsung’s batting lineup was slightly different from what it expected before the season. When I opened the lid, young players gained more strength than expected. So, I thought it was a situation worth taking on a chance. Though his sophistication could be slightly less sophisticated, he needed one more player with one shot. Cadenas, who showed off his slugging capability at Triple-A, seemed to be the right person. As soon as he actually played in the game, he hit two home runs at an important moment, raising expectations. However, his waist injury ruined everything.
Cardenas has not been able to play due to his waist injury since the game against Hanwha on July 24. From the perspective of medical staff, it is not such a serious issue. He is capable of playing in the game. However, Cardenas is actually feeling pressure on his back. He is more cautious because he has been suffering from chronic diseases since his childhood. Foreign players have no choice but to think about themselves. There are also signs of conflict between the two sides. 스포츠토토
After not playing for a while, he returned to the match against Hanwha on August 6, but was criticized for his loose play in defense that took place immediately after striking out one. Things are getting twisted as a result of the “debt controversy,” being excluded from the first-team entry, and his teammate and best friend Connor Seabold criticizing the indiscriminate bombardment of malicious comments against Cardenas on social networking services (SNS).
Samsung seems to be neither able to do this nor that. The best thing is for Kadenas to return to normal and add strength to his slugging capability. However, there is not much that he can do as he is reluctant to do due to back pain. Even if he tries to change to a foreign hitter, time is a matter of time. If he wants to play in the postseason, he needs to register by August 15. In fact, compared to foreign pitchers, batters have a wide range of options, but only a few days are left. Time is tight. There is a way to use it only during the regular season by replacing it later, but this is not the best scenario.
Samsung is moving forward with replacement in mind. Samsung coach Park Jin-man also seems to be expecting a new foreign hitter rather than Kadenas, who does not know when he will return to normal. It is a matter of course for a head coach. If he changes, his position doesn’t matter. If he just hits it well, he just needs to be able to hit it far away.” If a first baseman is hired, Lee Seong-gyu can be deployed to the outfield, and if an outfielder is recruited, Park Byung-ho and Lee Seong-gyu can be deployed to the first base in rotation.
Samsung, which was at the bottom of last year, is currently in third place in the league as of the 12th. The game gap with the leading KIA has widened a little, but it is not far from the second-place LG. Perhaps the opportunity to work has come in the fall. Samsung is well aware from recent experience that this opportunity does not come as often as expected. While attention is being paid to whether there will be a winning move, if there is a winning move, it is a double whammy that must be shown quickly. The league’s attention is focusing on how Samsung’s foreign lineup will be structured on August 16.