Start again! PIT Bae Ji-hwan will play for the first time since the minor relegation, and is expected to start the No. 1 center fielder in Triple-A game on the 9th

Apr 08, 2025

Start again! PIT Bae Ji-hwan will play for the first time since the minor relegation, and is expected to start the No. 1 center fielder in Triple-A game on the 9th
AFP Yonhap News



Start again! PIT Bae Ji-hwan will play for the first time since the minor relegation, and is expected to start the No. 1 center fielder in Triple-A game on the 9th
You can start from the beginning again.

Bae Ji-hwan (26) does not have to be disappointed even if he was notified of his minor league trip in vain two games, or even if a teammate with a minor league batting average of 0.071 was called up. As long as you prove your skills, you can be called back by Major League Baseball at any time. There are many places to go up. You just have to focus on every game, every at-bat again.

Bae Ji-hwan starts again in the minor leagues. Five days after the shocking notification of going to the minor league, it was finally decided to play in the minor league game.




Bae Ji-hwan, who succeeded in entering the opening entry of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a batting average of 0.381 and an OPS of 1.017 in this year's spring camp, was notified of his trip to the minor leagues on the 4th (Korea time). The decision was made after playing just two games and four at-bats since the opening.

Bae Ji-hwan started as the first center fielder against the Miami Marlins on the 30th of last month, but bowed his head to three strikeouts in four at-bats, and against Miami on the 31st, he came out as a pinch runner in the top of the eighth inning and was out trying to steal third base indiscriminately, pouring cold water on his team's scoring chance. Bae Ji-hwan, who did not get a chance to play afterwards, was eventually notified of the Indianapolis Indians, a minor league triple-A team under the club, on the 4th.

Start again! PIT Bae Ji-hwan will play for the first time since the minor relegation, and is expected to start the No. 1 center fielder in Triple-A game on the 9th
Start again! PIT Bae Ji-hwan will play for the first time since the minor relegation, and is expected to start the No. 1 center fielder in Triple-A game on the 9th
Since then, Bae Ji-hwan has not played in the minor league immediately. Coincidentally, participation in minor league games has been delayed due to the continued movement to join minor league teams, rainy weather, and rest days. In the end, it was decided to play in the first game five days after the minor league relegation.

Bae Ji-hwan's first minor league game of the year will be against the Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds' Triple-A team) at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky, the U.S. at 7:35 a.m. on the 9th. A day before the game, the Indianapolis club announced its lineup of starters and players in advance. Bae Ji-hwan was predicted to be the No. 1 center fielder. Unless something unexpected happens, the participation will take place as it is.

Bae Ji-hwan should show his skills in the minor leagues for the time being. You have to appeal your strengths such as hitting, running base, and defense as much as possible to create a big league call-up opportunity. If you prove your skills, a big league call-up won't be too difficult. This is because Pittsburgh's outfield situation is not very good.

Start again! PIT Bae Ji-hwan will play for the first time since the minor relegation, and is expected to start the No. 1 center fielder in Triple-A game on the 9th
Pittsburgh is currently ranked last in the National League Central (3 wins and 7 losses). Outfielders are all sluggish. In particular, Alexander Canario, who pushed Bae Ji-hwan to the big league after Pittsburgh recruited him as a cash trade on the 1st, has been unable to make up his mind with no hits in eight at-bats in three games. He even missed the catch when he made his Pittsburgh debut on the 5th.




This means that if Bae Ji-hwan shows good batting and stable defensive ability in the minor leagues, he can quickly bring down the Canario and move up to the big leagues. In addition, Jack Swinsky, who competed with Bae Ji-hwan to enter the opening entry, is currently batting only 0.143 (3 hits in 21 at-bats) with an OPS of 0.440 in seven big league games. Even main outfielder Tommy Pham has a batting average of 0.129 (4 hits in 31 at-bats) with an OPS of 0.383. It is a total catastrophe.

This is why Bae Ji-hwan does not have to be disappointed with the decision to go to the minor leagues at all. Since all of the team's outfielders are sluggish, there are plenty of call-up chances if Bae Ji-hwan himself is good.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.