KIA Tigers infielder Byun Woo-hyuk (24) is very important during the 2024 season. The team made significant achievements in 2023, the first season of its transfer to the team. Now, the team is expected to see improved performance. Attention is focusing on whether Byun will definitely establish himself as a corner infielder for the first and third bases. He must be an important resource for the team now and in the future.
He played in 83 games in the last season and entered 226 at-bats. When he was playing in the Hanwha Eagles, he was given far more opportunities than 61 at-bats in 2019 and 61 at-bats in 2022. He recorded a batting average of 225, seven homers, 24 RBIs and 23 runs scored, and the OPS (on-base plus slugging) was 0.664 points. He had a batting average of 263 points in scoring capacity. He struck out 74, almost one out of every three at-bats.
He was recognized for raising his salary in the 2024 annual salary high school project. He signed for 60 million won (53,520 U.S. dollars), a rise of 25 million won from 35 million won (33,520 dollars). Although it is not a salary worth billions of dollars, it is meaningful that the salary has risen the most since his debut. He also gained confidence that if he does a better job, he will be able to earn hundreds of millions of dollars in salary in no time. In a way, his career is just beginning.
One of his strong points is his strong batting performance. In the second game against SSG Landers last year, he started as the fifth batter and hit the left-handed solo arch in the second inning. He hit a great home run in his first at-bat. Expectations for Byun soared. However, he lacked experience and began to struggle in more games.
Reemerging his presence in the game against Samsung in Gwangju on April 22. He hit a grand slam to left in the bottom of the first inning against opponent team starter Won Tae-in. He re-announced the possibility of a corner infielder with long-range power. Since then, he has consistently switched between third and first basemen, adding to his strength. He recorded 324 runs in June, but his pace was down due to his Achilles tendon injury.
He made a comeback on August 15, but finished the season by recording 214 in September and 130 in October. His poor swing speed and poor batting ability were the reasons for his poor performance. At the Okinawa closing camp, he worked hard to learn fast and concise swings. As he was born with power, some people believed that increasing the batting average would automatically produce good batting performance.
It is expected that utilization will increase this year as well. For now, fierce competition with Hwang Dae-in and Lee Woo-sung is predicted. However, Kim Do-young, the starting member of the third baseman, suffered a four-month injury and it is unclear from the opening. Byun Woo-hyuk has a chance to take the position. If he continues to take the opportunity, whether it is at first or third base, he is expected to perform better than last year.
The key is strikeout. If you reduce strikeouts, your performance will automatically go up. The on-base and slugging rates will inevitably increase. 토토 He could become a billion-dollar annual salary next year. If there is an option for Byun Woo-hyuk in the league’s top KIA batting line, it is the best scenario. KIA will depart for Australia on the 30th and start its spring camp on February 1. With several players attracting attention, Byun Woo-hyuk’s move is also a major point to watch.
