Choi Ji-man, who has yet to show his true self in his new team. How does the director see it?
Pittsburgh Pirates coach Derek Shelton commented on Choi Ji-man, who recorded no hits in three at-bats that day, saying at a press conference after the home game against the Chicago White Sox on the 10th (Korean time), “He is getting closer to his original swing.”
Choi Ji-man has played in 6 games so far this season, recording 1 hit in 19 at-bats. He had no walks and struck out eight. He went 0-for-11 in his last three games and was silent.
Not a good grade. Above all, the problem is that one of the greatest strengths, the pioneering plan, has not survived yet.
Choi Ji-man’s career walk rate is 13.3%, which is higher than the major league average (8.4%). Last season he finished in the league’s top 4 percent with 13.8 percent. However, this season has yet to walk.
Conversely, his strikeout rate was 25.7%, slightly higher than the league average (22.1%), but this season he is recording 43.8%.
It’s clear that this is a worrisome number to pass off as a ‘small sample’.
One consolation is that the quality of batted balls is improving. His average speed of 87.8 mph is slightly below his career average (91 mph), but he consistently hits hard. The fastest batted ball hit so far is 107.4 mph.
In the game against the White Sox on the 9th, although he was caught in front of the second baseman, he hit a strong ball with a batting speed of 98.2 miles.
In the game on the 10th, he hit a ball with a batting speed of 101 miles and an angle of 34 degrees, but was caught on the warning track. He was a good hit with an expected batting average of 0.450.
It is definitely better than in the second half of last year, when the quality of the batted ball itself dropped significantly.
“My swing got better today,” said Shelton. Missed two balls. I just missed two,” he said, commenting that Choi Ji-man’s swing is gradually improving. 메이저사이트
In the game on the 10th, there was something else that the coach saw impressively. It was the first base defense shown for the first time in the regular season. “I played really well at first base. He showed a good stretch,” he praised the defense of Choi Ji-man, who tore his legs twice and caught them.
There seems to be plenty of room for him to get back to his original form. The key is consistent attendance. Choi Ji-man is not getting many opportunities as Andrew McCutchen, who suffers from right elbow pain, is playing as the designated hitter more frequently and another first baseman, Carlos Santana, shows good hitting.
Like most other major leaguers, if Choi Ji-man gets a steady chance, he will be able to regain his form again. Now he’s just 19 plate appearances.