Will the Lotte Giants, who have tried to change the color of the team by strengthening mobility and connection at the moment, show the baseball they are aiming for in 2023?
Lotte declared ‘running baseball’ from last year. In the past, if offensive baseball with the explosive power of the other line was the color of the team, now ‘baseball that runs and steals one more base’ is Lotte’s new goal. In batting, the focus began to be placed on strengthening the connection at the moment of hitting, not baseball aiming for a single shot. Lotte manager Larry Sutton said, “In offense, it is important to put pressure on the opposing pitcher and defense. This is why bold and active running is considered one of the important factors in forming the team color.”
The background of Lotte’s attempt to change the color of the team had a significant impact on the expansion of the stadium last year. Initially, Lotte focused on improving pitchers’ psychological stability and performance by pushing the home plate toward the backstop and raising the outfield wall. The actual home run margin (36 home runs, 40 home runs) decreased, but the decrease in long hits by hitters was also a factor to be concerned about. As the Sajik Stadium was changed to be more pitcher-friendly, it was inevitable to change the offensive power.
However, the speed of change of batters was a little slow. Last year, Lotte’s running and stealing indicators stayed at the bottom. The number of additional bases advanced by Lotte hitters was 444, the lowest among 10 clubs, and in terms of percentage, 37.4% was 9th, slightly ahead of Samsung Lions (36.1%). Even if Hwang Seong-bin’s extra base rate (57.7%) exceeded that of Park Hae-min (LG Twins, 57.4%), who has the league’s top-notch running base ability, 온라인바카라 it was not enough on his own. The stolen base rate was also the lowest at 61%. It was not the team that failed the most (39 times, tied for 4th place), but the number of successes (61 times, 10th place) was noticeably low.
Attention is focused on whether the failure of last year can serve as a foundation. Coach Kim Pyeong-ho, who was in charge of third base last year, moved to first base, and coach Jeon Jun-ho stood at third base, which can have a big impact on the players. The players are also reflecting on the lessons learned last year. Seongbin Hwang looked back and said, “There are many things I would not have known if I hadn’t tried anything.”