"House Rabbit"
November 25th, 2023
Crackdown, "Start"
When head coach Kim Tae-hyung led the team, Doosan has been suffering from power leaks every year. Kim Jae-hwan, Huh Kyung-min, Jung Soo-bin and other "signboard hitters" were able to stay, but they did not capture the hearts of all players. This was not limited to the FA market. Through the second draft, numerous players have left the team.
However, last year and this year, there was not much power leakage. Rather, last year, the power was positive. Through his first FA qualification, he signed a contract with Yang Eui-ji, a "bear mask fox" who wore the NC Dinos uniform, worth a total of 15.2 billion won for 4+2 years, and succeeded in bringing his mother back home. And in this second draft, he gave up Lee Hyung-bum and Song Seung-hwan, but he minimized the power leakage by bringing in Kim Ki-yeon, a member of the LG Twins.
Doosan began a major reorganization after the end of last season. After leaving the baton to Lee Seung-yeop, the "national hitter," he made changes by replacing all foreign players. As a result, he was ranked fifth with 74 wins, two draws and 68 losses in the regular season this year with a winning percentage of 0.521, and although it was short, he succeeded in returning to the autumn match, including a wild card (WC) match against the NC Dinos. If the last stove league's homework was to reinforce power, minimum power maintenance is essential this winter.
In Doosan this year, Yang Seok-hwan and Hong Gun-hee appeared in the FA market. Yang Seok-hwan, who was selected by the LG Twins as the 28th overall pick in the second and third rounds of the rookie draft in 2014, was traded to Doosan after the 2020 season, and his skills were in full bloom after he changed his team. In the first season of the transfer, Yang Seok-hwan left a batting average of 0.273 OPS of 0.827 with 28 arches, and in the 2022 season, he left a disappointment with a batting average of 0.244, but he shot 20 home runs.
His performance this season ahead of the FA was not bad either. Yang Seok-hwan played in 140 games, recording 147 hits, 89 RBIs, 73 runs, and a batting average of 0.281 OPS 0.787. In particular, he hit 21 home runs this year, marking the third consecutive year with 20 home runs. Yang Seok-hwan's clear advantage is that he has the power to hit more than 20 home runs despite using Jamsil, the widest stadium in the KBO League, as his home. For Doosan, which suffered from "huge thirst" due to Kim Jae-hwan's poor performance this year, Yang Seok-hwan's stay is essential.
Like Yang Seok-hwan, Hong Geon-hee is a case of full skill after moving to Doosan. In particular, Hong Gun-hee spent his career high season with 6 wins, 6 losses, 17 holds, 3 saves, and 2.78 ERA in 65 games, and last year, when he began to take charge of the back door, he left a record of 2 wins, 9 losses, 9 holds, 19 saves, and 3.48 ERA. This year, he showed anxiety at the end of the season several times, but he finished the season with one win, five losses, 22 saves, and a 3.06 ERA. From Doosan's point of view, Hong Geon-hee is indispensable, just like Yang Seok-hwan.
Doosan did not actively move even after the opening of the FA market, but now it is expected to be busy to crack down on "house rabbits." Considering the 'salary cap', even if it is difficult to recruit an outside FA, Yang Seok-hwan and Hong Gun-hee are thinking of catching both. In an interview with reporters after the second draft on the 22nd, general manager Kim Tae-ryong said, "We asked to talk after the second draft." I only greeted the agent. We did not talk about the amount," he said.
The second draft is over and it's time to take the movement. It is also essential to maintain the current power for better performance than this year. General manager Kim Tae-ryong said, "All internal FA players must be caught. We are also trying to do our best, he said. "If the difference in amount is not big, we should catch both Yang Seok-hwan and Hong Geon-hee." Will Doosan be able to capture the hearts of Hong Gun-hee and Yang Seok-hwan, who is receiving hot attention in the market.