Shim Jae-hak, head of the KIA Tigers, signed a three-year, 2 billion won non-FA multi-year contract with "Manly Catcher" Kim Tae-gun (35) at the end of the 2023 season, stressing that he should play the main role for two years unconditionally. If Kim Tae-gun builds a pillar in the home turf for two years, he expected a scenario in which other catchers grow in the meantime.
And in the last season of Kim Tae-gun's contract, in 2026, backup catchers should be able to compete with Kim Tae-gun for the starting position. It is not known how Kia's home turf will change in two to three years, but inside and outside the club, it is time for KIA to be reborn as a catcher's kingdom.
At the beginning of this season, Han Jun-su and Han Seung-taek joined the primary team. However, Han Seung-taek was recently excluded from the primary team. The secondary team includes Joo Hyo-sang, Kwon Hyuk-kyung, who finished military service, rookie Lee Sang-joon and Lee Sung-joo. Kim Sun-woo is serving in the military. Han and Joo have immediate experiences in the secondary team, Kwon Hyuk-kyung and Lee Sang-joon, who are promising
Han Jun-su, who beat them to the first division, said, "As a 25-year-old right-handed, left-handed catcher, I have good potential and good enough skills. Watchers say that he has one shot as a left-handed batter at bat, and that he respects his name as it is. On top of that, Takeshi Nakamura, a battery coach who coached the catchers when they won the 2017 championship, has returned. Analysts say that he is displaying good harmony with the KIA catchers he met again.
The former coach named Han Jun-su as Yoon Young-chul's exclusive catcher. Both of them lack experience, but they said it was rather an advantage. He praised them for being meticulous in preparing for the game due to their lack of experience. Han Jun-su, who was evaluated as not able to manage his weight in the past, has changed completely.
Han also started when Yoon took the mound for the first time this season in a match against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on March 31. He also played with Yang Hyeon-jong, a relief pitcher for the Suwon KT Wiz on Tuesday. Yang was hit by a critical three-run shot by Jang in the sixth inning, but displayed good pitching up to one out. He showed that there is no reason to be limited to Yoon's exclusive catcher.
He also garnered three hits left and right at bat. They were all single hits, but his slugging power is his biggest attraction. He was a left-handed hitter, but he hit in an open stand, and he was not weak against left-handed pitchers. Last year, he was rather less productive to right-handed pitchers, but this season, we have to watch. Ko Young-pyo, who faced off on the day, is the best submarine in Korea, and is not a weak pitcher against left-handed hitters. Han Jun-su's response was good, too.
Of course, he played in only 59 games in the main league. He needs to grow as he plays many games. "When I gave up an RBI double to Cho Yong-ho with two outs and a runner on the first base in the fourth inning, I made a mistake," said Seo Jae-eung, a commentator for SPOTV who broadcast the game live. He meant that Han should have avoided changeups that could potentially cause a long hit when exchanging autographs with Yang. We just need to supplement these points through continuous feedback. Han also had a good experience.
Coach Lee Bum-ho recently removed Han from the first team, opening up Han to become the "post Kim Tae-gun." Of course, this does not mean that he will decide Kim's successor. Literally, he was the first to grab the opportunity. He has completed his military service. It is probably the most important year or two for Han.
BY: 토토