How will Kia, a 16-home run hitter who even stole the hearts of other teams' coaches, use this player

Sep 05, 2025

How will Kia, a 16-home run hitter who even stole the hearts of other teams' coaches, use this player
The KBO League KT Wiz and KIA Tigers match held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 29th. KIA Oh Sun-woo is cheering after hitting an upset three-run shot with two outs and runners on the first and second bases in the top of the sixth inning. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.29/



"I'm going to find a better position after this season."

Oh Sun-woo is one of the hit products of the KIA Tigers this season. At the center of the rebound in the first half of last year, there were players who came up from Futures teams such as Oh Sun-woo and Kim Ho-ryeong and flew.

In fact, Oh Sun-woo is having his best season since his professional debut. I've already played 104 games, but I've never played this many times. The previous largest number of business trips was 59 games in 2020. In the meantime, he has a batting average of 272 (101 hits in 371 times at bat) with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs with an OPS of 0.780. Although he has slowed down a bit with a batting average of .20% in the last 10 games, he is experiencing various difficulties to the extent that he lost more than 10kg in his first full-time business trip since his debut. I just don't have the knack and experience yet, and this year's experience will be a clear nourishment.




A batter with good physical conditions with a long shot and a first base and outfield corner defense. In particular, other teams are also paying attention to the power of Oh Sun-woo, who hit 16 home runs. The opposing team's SSG Landers Lee Sung-yong, who played in Gwangju during the week, also kept an eye on a friend named Oh Sun-woo. It was really nice. There is a possibility that he will do better in the future."

In fact, this season is like the first full-time showcase of the first team for Oh Sun-woo, and the real stage is next year. As he has shown a lot this year, he should supplement his disappointment and become an upgraded hitter next year. Then you can take your place as a really solid main player.

How will Kia, a 16-home run hitter who even stole the hearts of other teams' coaches, use this player
KIA-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 17th. The bases loaded with two outs in the top of the first inning. Oh Sun-woo is disappointed after being out with an infield ground ball. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.17/
The point that still needs to be sorted out is the detailed improvement of the defensive position and defense. Oh is currently registered as an infielder in the KBO. However, as he is also playing defense in the outfield, it is hard to conclude yet what position coach Lee Bum-ho will be able to give Oh next season.




First of all, whether or not to sign a contract for a foreign batter. This year, he was with Patrick Wisdom, who can defend the first and third bases, and Oh Sun-woo's proportion of first-base defense was high as third baseman Kim Do-young virtually lost the season due to injury. However, if a new foreign hitter is recruited without renewing his contract with Wisdom next year, Oh Sun-woo is likely to be most affected by where the batter's position is.

Coach Lee Bum-ho also said, `O Sun-woo's built-in first base is the best. The most difficult position to get is a player who bats well at first base. Even looking at the foreign batter market, it is quite difficult to find a player who can be satisfied at first base"I think it would be nice if Sunwoo could cover well on the spot, but I think I'll have to check after this season to see if I can completely play the first base defense while playing the full season." he said.

How will Kia, a 16-home run hitter who even stole the hearts of other teams' coaches, use this player
The KBO League KT Wiz and KIA Tigers match held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 29th. KIA Oh Sun-woo is cheering after hitting an upset three-run shot with two outs and runners on the first and second bases in the top of the sixth inning. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.29/
Oh Sun-woo, who is still growing, has recently been training more carefully on the handling of bound balls when defending first base. Manager Lee, a former infielder, is also good at catching ground balls that "(Yoon) Do-hyun or (Oh) Sun-woo just come, but there seems to be a difficulty when catching a one-bound or big bouncing ball. I think we should practice a lot. Since both have offensive advantages, they should fill in the disadvantages well. He's telling me that part. If you prepare only defensive things, you can take a place one by one, which strengthens the team."




Compared to the past, the defensive ability of the first baseman has been increasingly emphasized. The proportion of sluggers flying toward first base is much higher than before, there are many movements, and it is also a position where there are the most things to pay attention to. Even if you have good exercise ability, if your body size is small, you are at a disadvantage.

Manager Lee Bum-ho said, `If Sunwoo says he can't go to first base, he should take it out to the outfield. We will decide which one is better, first base or outfield. Of course, Sunwoo is now turning 30, so I think it would be good for him to move from first base as he gets older. If it covers well, it will be the best scenario, he said positively.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.