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| The Kiwoom-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 8th. KIA came from behind to win 5-2. Kim Do-young, who hit the final shot, is making a heart for his fans. Kim Do-young scored 30 home runs, 30 steals, 100 RBIs and 100 runs as the third and youngest RBI in history. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.9.8/ |
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| KIA Tigers have hired new foreign hitter Patrick Wisdom. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers |
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"3rd baseman has our best player."
KIA Tigers' new foreign hitter Patrick Wisdom (33) boasts 88 home runs in the U.S. Major League Baseball. His overall batting average is only 0.209 (274 hits in 1311 at-bats), which puts a question mark on his contact ability, but he has the power to cross the fence if he gets caught with the bat anyway. This is why KIA gave up renewing its contract with Socrates Brito (32), a batter who can hit 20 home runs with a batting average of 300 for the season, and recruited Wisdom for a total of 1 million dollars (about 1.4 billion won). KIA expected the batting line to become even stronger if right-handed batter Wisdom hits home runs in Korea.
Wisdom played primarily as a third baseman in the major leagues. He played 219 ⅔ innings in 277 games as a third baseman, 464 ⅔ innings in 83 games as a first baseman, and 280 innings in 49 games as an outfielder. In the minor league, he played 6,091 innings in 714 games as a third baseman in 11 seasons. As a first baseman, he recorded 589 ⅔ innings in 72 games.
However, Wisdom is highly unlikely to play third base right away in Korea. KIA's main third baseman is Kim Do-young (21). Kim Do-young is the MVP of this year's regular season. Although he had 30 errors, it was a kind of tax to raise him as a main player. Kim Do-young grew into the league's top third baseman in a season, growing amid mistakes. He spent a year completely strengthening his position by winning the third baseman Golden Glove following the MVP. Even if Wisdom is a 88-homer hitter in the Major League, he cannot push off MVP Kim Do-young.
Kim Do-young overwhelms Wisdom even with his bat. It's because it has contact ability and power. Kim Do-young hit 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats), 38 homers, 109 RBIs, 143 runs, and 1.067 OPS in 141 games this season. By adding 40 steals, they are the youngest to achieve 30 home runs and 30 steals in history.
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| A game between the LG Twins and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 9th. KIA second baseman Kim Sun-bin, who made a mistake in hitting LG Moon Sung-joo with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, is disappointed. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.07.09/ |
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| A match between the Samsung Lions and the KIA Tigers at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 31st. KIA Park Chan-ho, who won, is happy. Daegu=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.08.31/ |
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Wisdom is likely to give up the third baseman and play as the next familiar first baseman. KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak said, `We need to consult with the manager, but Wisdom can defend third base, first base, and corner outfield. Third base has our best player, and I think Wisdom should take the first baseman rather than the outfielder if he wants to focus a little more on hitting. It's a matter I need to discuss with the manager, but I think he'll use it as a first baseman" he said.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho expressed his intention to confirm his position or batting order by checking Wisdom in person during the spring camp. Manager Lee said, `I think there were a lot of strikeouts in the United States, but the breaking balls thrown by pitchers in Korea may also be noticeable. If I adapt well, I think I'll get good enough results, but I think I'll have to go to the camp and see it. It's my job to prepare me to adapt well to Korean baseball in the camp," he said, adding that the first thing to do is to check what Wisdom is really like in the video only.
Unless something unexpected happens, next season's KIA infield is expected to be organized as third baseman Kim Do-young, shortstop Park Chan-ho (29), second baseman Kim Sun-bin (35) and first baseman Wisdom. Kim Sun-bin is the MVP of this year's Korean Series, and Park Chan-ho is the Golden Glove shortstop this year. KIA has the strongest infield in the league in both defense and offense.
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| Game 5 of the Korean Series between Samsung and KIA at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 28th. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.10.28/ |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
