Will he get out of a 50% salary cut? The forgotten revival of 5 billion FA is expected → 2G consecutive demonstrations of force...Will he overcome the criticism and make a brilliant comeback?
Jul 25, 2025
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Roh Jin-hyuk showed off his long-shot power every day and went on an armed demonstration. Will he be able to return the attention of the head coach, who is far from him, and the fans.
Noh Jin-hyuk started the Futures League game against the KIA Tigers' second division at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 23rd as the fifth batter and first baseman and scored one hit and one run from four times at bat. He appeared as the leadoff hitter in the second inning and hit a double to left field.
In the previous day's game, he hit a three-run double with the bases loaded and then scored four pitches at the next at-bat. Above all, it is encouraging that Roh Jin-hyuk hit long balls for two consecutive days due to the lack of a shot.
It is no longer 'strikes'. During last season, head coach Kim Tae-hyung limited Roh Jin-hyuk's role to a substitute agent at first base to third base and a left-handed pinch hitter. He thought it was difficult to play shortstop anymore due to repeated back pain and lack of quickness.
The problem is that even the blow was on the brink of collapse. In 2023, the first year of Lotte's entry, he played the role of a clutch heater like a veteran, hitting a walk-off hit in May and June. Although it was not a performance worthy of a four-year, five-billion-won FA contract, he had a batting average of 257, four homers and 51 RBIs, and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.724. He even served as a mentor leading young players with an unexpected open personality.
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He left American training at his own expense during the offseason. He met Hoyle (current Cleveland Guardians minor coach) and devoted himself to preparing for the revival.
So far, there has been no noticeable achievement. This year, he was excluded from the first team from the spring camp early on. He never made it to the first team throughout the first half. Having suffered a wrist injury, he has not been seen in Futures since April.
He suffered from excessive criticism due to repeated poor performances. Some even criticized that 'They only appear in the NC Dinos game' and 'They are classified as injured and their salaries are reduced'
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Noh Jin-hyuk silently devoted himself to rehabilitation, and Noh Jin-hyuk, who appeared in the Futures game at the beginning of the second half, hit a double in two consecutive games, showing his one-shot slugging ability alive.
For Roh Jin-hyuk, it is urgent to overcome competition with Choi Hang, who is in a similar situation. The roles completely overlap in that they are classified as 1st and 3rd base agents in the same left-handed substitute role. However, if Noh Jin-hyuk has a long shot, Choi Hang can use up to second base, which makes the difference. Choi Hang also has a batting average of 323, one home run, 13 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.822.
In a year, in addition to Son Ho-young and Choi Hang, newcomers Park Chan-hyung and Han Tae-yang joined the third base competitors. From Roh Jin-hyuk's point of view, if he gets the first-team opportunity, Na Seung-yeop is expected to start playing a left-handed pinch hitter with a long shot after rising to the main first base. This is an empty spot for Junghoon Lee, which was traded to KT Wiz.
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Noh Jin-hyuk, who entered Busan after the 2022 season in anticipation of solving Lotte's long-standing weakness of shortstop. It has become difficult to make 'money' anymore, but Lotte fans still have a chance to atone for it. As a founding member of NC and a key member, he was recognized for his sincerity.
Will Roh Jin-hyuk be able to show his veteran presence in the remaining regular season, and if he succeeds in autumn baseball for the first time in eight years,
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
