Shocking! Zero presence. Bae Ji-hwan, who was branded as a strikeout machine, was also excluded from the starting lineup, and was also pushed back from Triple-A
Apr 20, 2025
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Then the conclusion is one. It may be an exclusion based on the coaching staff's judgment that he is not good enough to start. The poor batting performance, which rarely improves, seems to have eventually pushed Bae Ji-hwan from the main position of Triple-A.
Bae Ji-hwan, a member of Triple-A Indianapolis Indians under the Pittsburgh Pirates, was excluded before the 2025 Minor League Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A under Detroit) held at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Indiana on the 20th. He was excluded from the starting list again three days after the home game against Toledo on the 17th.
At first glance, it may be considered that left-handed hitter Bae Ji-hwan sat on the bench according to the platoon system because the opponent's starter was left-handed pitcher Lael Lockhart. Even when he was excluded from the selection on the 17th, the Toledo starter was left-hander Bailey Horn.
However, it would be more appropriate to see that the overall poor batting is a factor excluding starting players. On the 18th, when Bae Ji-hwan returned to the starting lineup, Toledo starter was also veteran left-hander Detrick Ens. Last year, Ence won 13 games (5 losses) while playing as a starter for the KBO League LG Twins.
Bae Ji-hwan, who returned to the leadoff position, drew an infield hit, a double, and a walk against such Ence. In the end, he showed that he is competitive against left-handers by performing three hits (two doubles) in four at-bats, one walk, two steals and four runs.
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However, disappointing performance was reproduced again in the game on the 19th. Bae Ji-hwan, who started as the first center fielder on the day, struck out three again with no hits in four at-bats. He walked one, stole one and scored one point. His batting average dropped again to 0.211 (8 for 38) .
The opponent was right-handed pitcher Wilkel Hernandez. Bae Ji-hwan struck out two consecutive times against right-hander Hernandez. In his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, he struck out swinging in just four pitches. First ball, second consecutive swing and miss strikeout after two fouls. It's a bad pattern of badges that have been repeated throughout this season.
In his second at-bat in the bottom of the third inning, Hernandez also struck out a rookie in four pitches. I just watched the sinker go through the zone on the fourth pitch in the ball count 1B2S. The distinction between when to wait and when to hit seemed to have completely collapsed. Bae Ji-hwan, who got on base with a walk in the bottom of the sixth inning, struck out in another four pitches in his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the seventh inning with no outs and no outs. It was a similar pattern to the first episode. After the first ball, he stepped out of the batter's box with a rookie strike and two consecutive bouts.
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Even a pinch hitter didn't get a chance to play. Bae Ji-hwan played in the top of the second inning against Toledo on the 17th, his first start game of this season, and was placed in the eighth batting order and recorded one hit in five at-bats.
However, he was completely excluded from the match on the 20th. It's not like there hasn't been a chance to take a pinch-hitter.
Nick York, who came in the first batting order instead of Bae Ji-hwan, was sluggish with two strikeouts and no hits in four at-bats. Billy Cook, who started in center field No. 5, was also 0 for 4. Considering the batting order and defensive position, Bae Ji-hwan could have replaced them after the middle of the game, but the Indianapolis bench did not move. This is evidence that confidence in the medium has almost fallen to the bottom level.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis won 6-2 despite not using Bae Ji-hwan at all, running for four consecutive wins. Bae Ji-hwan's absence was not felt at all.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
