Oh Ji-hwan successor → 2 transfers → Position change and slump.. He has one last chance! First base of the Muju Communist Party Doosan
Aug 02, 2025
|
|
Can Kang Seung-ho (31) take the main first baseman of the Doosan Bears. At this point, it is the best scenario that Doosan's acting manager Cho Sung-hwan expects.
Kang Seung-ho has been walking on a thorny path this season. Kang Seung-ho achieved a career high in 2024 and became the team's 'annual salary king' (370 million won, excluding FA players). This year, the team changed its position to third base due to team circumstances. I failed to adapt. Even after returning to second base, his offense did not revive. He was eliminated from the main competition. He has a batting average of .216 for the season.
A glimmer of hope came down. With Kang Seung-ho slowly recovering his batting sense, the first base was empty. If Kang Seung-ho regains his performance last year and settles down at first base, acting coach Cho Sung-hwan has nothing more to ask for.
Kang Seung-ho's baseball life was quite rough. He was a top prospect in the first round of the 2013 rookie draft. At that time, LG designated Kang Seung-ho as the 'next generation Oh Ji-hwan'. But it didn't bloom at LG. It was traded to SK (currently SSG) in 2018. The heyday seemed to begin by contributing to SK's victory in the Korean Series that year. He was sluggish again. After the 2020 season, he will wear the Doosan uniform as a compensation player for FA Choi Joo-hwan.
Kang Seung-ho finally settled down as the main player after coming to Doosan. In 2024, he hit 0.280 with an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.804 with 18 home runs and 81 RBIs.
The ordeal has come again. Heo Kyung-min, who was the main third baseman, moved to KT through FA. Kang Seung-ho will go to third base. Last year's offense didn't come out. Doosan sent Kang Seung-ho back to second base. Kang Seung-ho was still sluggish. Eventually, he went down to the second team.
|
|
|
If Kang Seung-ho takes the first base, several concerns will be solved at the same time. Doosan does not have a main first baseman, so the main position, such as Kim Min-seok, Park Gye-beom and Park Sung-jae, is coming out as players who are not at first base take turns. Kang Seung-ho mainly watched second and third bases, so he can defend first base without difficulty.
Kang Seung-ho is also a veteran who will play a role in keeping the center of the fielders at bay. The age difference between the main hitters is quite large, including Yang Eui-ji (38), Kim Jae-hwan (37), Jeong Soo-bin (35), Lee Yoo-chan (27), Oh Myung-jin (24), and Park Joon-soon (19), who are in their late 30s.Kang Seung-ho is at an age where he can be bridged in the middle.
Acting President Cho Sung-hwan said, `The gap between Bethereng and young players is too big right now. The middle is Kang Seung-ho, Park Gye-beom, and Kim In-tae. I hope the players who have to play the core role will cheer up a little more, but it would be great if Kang Seung-ho did it."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.