I never thought we would meet at Hanwha like this.
About six years ago, a major trade that shook the KBO league game was made. The time is April 7, 2017. KIA and SK (now SSG) announced a 4-4 trade.
The KIA brought in catcher Kim Min-sik (34) to reinforce the weak spot, and outfielder Lee Myung-ki (36) also quickly established himself as the team’s table setter with a batting average of .332, 9 homers, 63 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The success of a large trade played a part in the process of KIA winning the combined championship in 2017.
Coincidentally, the following year, in 2018, SK won the Korean Series, and Noh Soo-gwang (33), who came from KIA, had the best season of his life with a batting average of .313, 8 homers, 53 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, and saw the effect of the trade. Although Noh Soo-gwang could not play in the Korean Series due to an injury to his right little finger, he is also an indispensable figure in the process of SK winning the Korean Series.
Afterwards, Noh Soo-gwang changed his uniform with another trade. During the 2020 season, he returned to Hanwha through a trade with right-handed pitcher Lee Tae-yang (33). The first team that Noh Soo-gwang started his professional career with was Hanwha. Noh Soo-kwang, who returned to his former team, gathered expectations that he would play the role of a leader in the outfield.
Noh Soo-gwang, who dreamed of a revival last year, appeared in 117 games and left behind a batting average of .229, 4 homers, 30 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Hanwha, unable to resolve their concerns about the outfield, eventually turned their attention to the outside world. In the free agent market, he bet Chae Eun-seong (33) for a total of 9 billion won over six years, and he reorganized the outfield with Brian O’Grady (31), a new foreign hitter who was always on the list as the first recruit. In addition, on the 14th, a trade with NC brought Lee Myung-gi. Lee Myung-gi, who was a free agent, came to Hanwha in the form of a sign and trade after signing a contract with the original team NC for a total of 100 million won for a year.
Who would have known that Noh Su-gwang and Lee Myung-gi, who were the protagonists of the now-legendary 4-to-4 trade, would meet on the same team. Currently, Chae Eun-sung and O’Grady’s place seems to be built-in. In the end, the two veteran hitters have to compete for the remaining spot. 온라인바카라
In terms of batting, it is true that Lee Myung-gi has an advantage. Lee Myung-ki left a disappointment last year with a batting average of .260, but still boasts a career batting average of 30% (.307), and is clearly superior to Noh Su-gwang, who fell behind with batting averages of .251 in 2020, .231 in 2021, and .229 in 2022. there is.
Hanwha’s batting average for the second hitter last year was .219, which was the lowest in the league. The league average is .271, and it is a position where you have to stand out in batting, but Hanwha always struggled in the second batting order, so it was not possible to properly release the offense. In this regard, the addition of Lee Myeong-gi, who recorded a batting average of .282 in the second batting order last year, will surely help. Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk also clearly explained the reason for recruiting Lee Myung-ki, saying, “Lee Myung-gi was a player who hit 30% throughout his career, and coach Subero was also satisfied with his appearance as NC’s second hitter in the 2021 season.”
Even so, Noh Soo-gwang cannot give up. After finishing his season, Noh Soo-gwang will become a free agent for the first time in his career. This season is more motivating than ever. He is still a player with quick feet and running sense, so he can be used in his entry. For Hanwha, if Lee Myung-ki’s bat, which has found a new nest with difficulty, fires, and Noh Su-gwang ‘practices’ the desperate need of a reserve free agent on the ground, synergy effects can be expected from the outfield.
