There were seven last year… We already have five. We have a lot of potential! For the first time since Lee Dae-ho → 20 home runs are coming true...Big guns, first baseman's dream.

Apr 21, 2025

photo courtesy of Lotte Giants

Is it because of his name that he's good at baseball. Do the muscles that have been strengthened through military life finally shine.

The momentum of Lotte Giants Na Seung-yeop (23) is scary. Na Seung-yeop added two home runs in three consecutive weekend games against the Samsung Lions, and has already drawn five arches this season.

Last year, he was evaluated as having enough long-hitting potential, but he showed the aspect of a 'double machine' rather than a home run. With a whopping 35 doubles, he ranked fifth in the category (No. 1 Reyes, 40). Among the top 10 players in the double category, Kim Hyun-soo (LG), Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte), and Kang Seung-ho (Doosan) were hitters who failed to exceed 500%.

This year is different. Na Seung-yeop tied for fourth in the home run category (No. 1 Wisdom Noh Si-hwan, eight more), while proudly ranking eighth with a slugging percentage of .535. The .500 slugging percentage is completely different from last year when it was 'ungamsaengsim'.

photo courtesy of Lotte Giants

While other teammates suffered injuries and sluggishness, Na Seung-yeop consistently maintained his own batting pace. The trailblazing plan, which seems to have been well received since its debut, remains, and the era of ABS (automatic ball determination system) seems to be working as an advantage. As the arm strengthened here, the long shot naturally increased.

Lim Hoon, the Lotte batting coach who met before the season, predicted Na Seung-yeop's change. Coach Lim Hoon said, `I didn't have any grades before. You can say that you approached the pitcher's ball itself as safely as possible. Towards the end of the season, the heating point was pulled forward. He gained confidence. I think the extra-base hit will increase."

"I can't say I'm going to hit 20 home runs unconditionally, but at the beginning of last year, I had to make and teach the players' routines from one to ten. In a year, everyone has become accustomed to how to deal with pitchers, and their own hits have been established to some extent. I tried to make it harder. As much as you try, you will get good results."

Since he hit five in 25 games, he can hit 30 home runs with a little more strength. However, there is no guarantee that he will play as well as he does now throughout the season.

photo courtesy of Lotte Giants

However, it is a remarkable change even with just 20 home runs. Lotte has not had a single batter with 20 home runs in the past two years. Lee Dae-ho (23) will be the last in 2022. Excluding Lee Dae-ho, he should go back to Jeon Joon-woo (26) in 2026. Son Ho-young hit 18 home runs last year.

Just in time, the fence at Sajik Stadium was lowered to 4.8m. It is clear that Na Seung-yeop, who is level-swinging, is more likely to hit a home run than he is.

Na Seung-yeop tried to spin the bat strongly at the beginning of the season, but he changed it to swing concisely after listening to the advice of Kim Tae-hyung-dog and coach Lim Hoon. Rather than feeling like hitting hard, I tried to hit it accurately, and the hitting pace improved. "

Then "The team's atmosphere has been good lately. Since there are many consecutive wins, it seems that they do not want to lose more. The entire team gained confidence due to their consecutive wins, emphasizing that they will try to maintain their current concentration in the ensuing games.