This year, without fail, I came back during a crisis.

KIA multi infielder Ryu Ji-hyeok (29) has never been a starting player since the beginning of coach Kim Jong-guk. In the 2022 season, Kim Do-young’s failure to adapt to the first team led him to become the main third baseman, and he spent the first full-time main season in his life. In 127 games, he had a batting average of .274, 2 homers, 48 ​​RBIs, 55 runs, and an OPS of .715.

Also this season, the starting third baseman is Kim Do-young. However, on the 2nd, he was ruled out for the first half due to a fracture of the right metatarsal bone in the match against SSG in Incheon. Director Kim Jong-kook puts Ryu Ji-hyeok in the spotlight again. In the first place, Ryu Ji-hyeok and Byeon Woo-hyuk were going to compete, but looking at the recent trend, Ryu Ji-hyeok wins by decision.

Byun Woo-hyuk has a batting average of 0.182, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, and an OPS of 0.626 in 9 games. It is the aspect of crashing into a wall as soon as the stage started after flying wildly during the spring camp practice game and demonstration game. If Byun Woo-hyuk takes third base, he has the advantage of not having to consume the designated hitter slot while coexisting with Hwang Dae-in. In this case, Choi Hyeong-woo can be used as the designated hitter and various outfield options can be selected.

Director Kim was also looking forward to this scenario. In fact, he even said that he would use Byun Woo-hyeok as the third baseman during the three consecutive home opening games against Doosan. However, he did not last long. While Byun Woo-hyuk hesitated, Ryu Ji-hyeok came up. 11 hits in 29 at-bats in 10 games, batting average of 0.379 OPS 0.748.

I didn’t get that many opportunities in the Tucson and Okinawa spring camps and exhibition games. This is because the third base was thoroughly operated with a focus on Kim Do-young. However, as if Ryu Ji-hyeok had prepared in advance, as soon as there was a slight gap, he dug in and made a spot.

Recently, the KIA lineup has been sluggish in scoring. I can’t help but use Ryu Ji-hyeok, who fits so well. Coach Kim put Park Chan-ho, who has a bad hitting feel, down to number 2, and uses Ryu Ji-hyeok as a lead-off recently (against Hanwha in Gwangju on the 12th and 13th, against Kiwoom Gocheok on the 15th). With an average in the late 30s and an on-base percentage of 0.419, it is the most suitable card as a leadoff at this point.

On the 14th, there was an incident where Ryu Ji-hyeok went to the game wearing the uniform of Yoon Young-cheol at Gocheok Kiwoom. He forgot in Gwangju and didn’t bring his away uniform. On the 15th, before Gocheok Kiwoom, he played normally wearing his uniform. No matter who wore it, Ryu Ji-hyeok’s performance remained unchanged. He has had two hits in his last three games.

There is no home run, RBI, or run scored. On the other hand,토토사이트 it is also proof that the KIA lineup is not smooth. At this point, he is the best on the team, but the fact that he has no RBI means that the bottom line is not going well. The fact that there are no runs means that after he gets on base, the center line is not properly resolved.

The defense is also stable. On the 12th, I went to second base against Hanwha, but with Kim Sun-bin returning, I was fixed at third base. If Ryu Ji-hyeok leaves a good performance in the first half, even if Kim Do-young returns in the second half, the justification for handing over will disappear. For Ryu Ji-hyeok, the first half is an opportunity.