A foreigner’s replacement after three consecutive years of steady play. Samsung Lions concluded.
The Samsung Lions have had a solid foreign hitter for the past three years. Jose Pirela, who batted .288 with 6 HR and 29 RBI in 2021, followed that up with a .342 batting average and 28 HR in 2022, ranking second in batting average and second in home runs (192).
Last year, Pirela played in 139 games and saw his numbers drop across the board, but his consistency continued. He finished the season with a .285 batting average and 16 home runs.
Samsung signed David McKinnon to replace Pirela. The team invested $1 million, the maximum amount for a first-year foreign hitter.
Born in 1994, McKinnon is a right-handed hitter with a physical build of 1.88 meters and 90 kilograms. In five minor league seasons, McKinnon has played in 357 games, going 2-for-9 with 36 home runs. Last year, he played 127 games for the Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), batting .259 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. 카지노사이트 Samsung describes him as a “mid-to-long-range type hitter with good initiative and excellent content.”
While Pirela will play the outfield for Samsung, McKinnon will play first and third base.
Samsung manager Park Jin-man said he expects McKinnon to be a “key player on the field.”
“Last year, Pirela showed good form, but strategically, we decided that there were many deficiencies in the infield, so we replaced him. He can play both first and third base. I’m going to focus on third base first.”
At first base, the team is hoping for a resurgence from Oh Jae-il. After becoming a free agent after the 2020 season, Oh signed a four-year, 5 billion won contract with Samsung. After hitting more than 20 home runs in each of his first two years, Oh struggled last year, batting just 2-for-3 with 11 home runs in 106 games. A combination of slumps and injuries made for a tough season. “Oh Jae-il was so bad last year that he was desperate and prepared in the spring,” Park said.
Lee Jae-hyun, the starting shortstop, underwent shoulder surgery last fall. He is not expected to return until after the start of the season.
Park said, “We have to fill the void left by Lee Jae-hyun with several players.
We’ll have to watch Ryu Ji-hyuk, Kim Young-woong, and Kang Kang-ul compete. McKinnon at third and Oh Jae-il at first is the best plan, and then we can easily operate the designated hitter position.”
Pirela’s absence was expected to be met with ‘young blood’. “We don’t have Pirela, but Kim Sung-yoon appeared at the end of last year. We were able to analyze the infield and select foreign players. There’s also Kim Jae-hyuk, who retired from commerce. 온라인카지노사이트 His body has improved a lot. I’ve seen him since I was a coach. He was in the army, so his body and mind are definitely better than before. He has gained a foothold in the outfield competition.”
Kim Sung-yoon batted .321 with four home runs and 20 stolen bases in 101 games last year. Kim Jae-hyuk batted 2-for-6 with seven RBI and six home runs in 60 Futures League games for the Commerce Baseball Organization last year.