Does it turn out that he's the 4th hitter? Four hits in 10 games! Will a 23-year-old prospect finally burst

May 30, 2025

Does it turn out that he's the 4th hitter? Four hits in 10 games! Will a 23-year-old prospect finally burst
The LG-SSG match held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 24th. Koh Myung-joon, with no outs, is cheering after hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning. Incheon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.24/



Ko Myung-joon of SSG Landers, a key player this season. Is it finally out of the egg.

It started last year. Ahead of his first season in office, coach Lee Sung-yong declared a competition for the main first baseman. From the spring camp, Jeon Eui-san and Ko Myung-jun were competing in good faith, and Ko Myung-jun took the opportunity first. Jeon Eui-san decided to choose to join the military and solve the military service problem.

It's actually the first full-time opportunity for the first team since their debut. However, it was more regrettable. Ko Myung-joon showed his potential as a central hitter by hitting 11 home runs in 106 games, but he finished his first year with a task for the second season due to injuries and ups and downs.




One of the players that the SSG coaching staff has focused on since last year's closing camp is Ko Myung-joon. Catcher Cho Hyung-woo, infielders Jung Joon-jae, Park Ji-hwan, and Ko Myung-jun. It is believed that the future of fostering the main players ahead of the Cheongadom era can be depicted only when the four players show clear growth this year. In particular, Ko Myung-jun was the player who Lee Sung-yong and hitting coach Kang Byung-sik, who were first baseman, paid the most attention and effort.

Does it turn out that he's the 4th hitter? Four hits in 10 games! Will a 23-year-old prospect finally burst
SSG-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 18th. Ko Myung-jun is welcomed after hitting a three-run home run with two outs and runners on first and second bases in the top of the eighth inning. Daejeon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025..May 18/
Ko Myung-joon, who started this season as the main first baseman, got off to a rather weak start at the beginning of the opening period. Then, due to Guillermo Herredia's injury, Ryan McBroom, who can defend first base, was generally recruited, and some games were excluded from the starting lineup.

But the pace is unusual these days. He has a batting average of 366 (15 hits in 41 at-bats) in the last 10 games since playing two hits and four RBIs, including a home run, against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on May 18. He also hit three home runs and had 10 RBIs.




In particular, he started as the fourth batter against the Incheon NC Dinos on the 29th and scored four hits, one RBI and one run in four at-bats. Manager Lee Soo-yong chose the combination of Choi Jeong-4, Ko Myung-joon-5, and Han Yu-sum, instead of the combination of Choi Jeong-4, who hit a home run the day before 'Back to Back'. Ko Myung-joon hit all four at-bats, and the choice was right.

Does it turn out that he's the 4th hitter? Four hits in 10 games! Will a 23-year-old prospect finally burst
SSG Ko Myung-joon hits a two-run triple in the top of the third inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 20th. Jamsil= Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.05.20/
Surprisingly, he has the best performance in the fourth batting order. Ko Myung-jun has entered 78 at-bats, the most in the fifth batting order this season, with a batting average of 282, while he has the highest batting average of 364 in the fourth batting order. Of course, there is a difference in the number of at-bats, but this is a result of reflecting good batting and confidence recently.

Ko Myung-joon started after preparing so much that he set his personal goal of this season as '30 Home Run'. The mental aspect, which was pointed out as the cause of the ups and downs at bat last year, has also been upgraded even more this year.




It's still five home runs, but it doesn't matter if the long shot comes out less than expected. If you build more confidence in a chance situation while making a lot of positive hits like now, you will naturally produce long balls. Finally, Ko Myung-joon is showing a clear possibility as the main first baseman and center hitter.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.