Moon Bo-kyung (23, LG Twins) showed off his good batting ability, raising expectations for his performance at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.메이저놀이터
Moon Bo-kyung started as the national team’s first baseman and fifth hitter in a practice game with the Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Sangmu) in preparation for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 26th, and hit 2 hits, 2 RBIs, and 1 walk in 3 at-bats, including the winning hit in the 6th inning. led to a 2-0 victory.
After the game, national team coach Ryu Joong-il said, “The pitchers looked like they had good ball control overall,” and the national team pitchers who played for Sangmu were in good condition, but they showed even more excitement. Coach Ryu also left a separate comment, saying, “The overall condition of the batters was good, but Bo-kyung Moon in particular showed good condition.”
Moon Bo-kyung’s performance was predicted long ago. He was selected by LG with the 25th pick in the 2nd 3rd round of the 2019 Rookie Draft, and as the starting third baseman in his 3rd year with the first team, he led LG’s regular season 1st place with a batting average of 0.304, 10 home runs, 71 RBIs, 76 runs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.833. He played a part in the above storm.
Before joining the national team on the 23rd, he was having the best month of the year with a batting average of 0.409 (27 hits in 66 at-bats) in 17 games in September, and his hot batting sensation continued in the national team as well. Kwon Nuri (SSG), who is serving as the national team’s bullpen catcher, said after throwing batting balls to batters during training on the 24th, “I think Moon Bo-kyung is in the best condition at the moment. I threw for the first time since he was a player on a different team, and the swing of the bat was different. “He admitted. Nuri Kwon is a veteran who is evaluated as being excellent at checking the condition of players, so much so that he was selected as the only national team bullpen catcher for five consecutive times from the 2017 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) to this tournament.
As Moon Bo-kyung, who was considered a backup third baseman, showed good condition, the national team also fell into a happy dilemma. The initially expected starter at third base was Noh Si-hwan (23, Hanwha Eagles), who was first in the home run category and boasting MVP-level force with a batting average of 0.298 (147 hits in 494 at-bats) in 126 games, 31 home runs, 99 RBIs, 83 runs, and an OPS of 0.938. However, when announcing the starting lineup that day, Manager Ryu said, “I think the main batting line consisting of Noh Si-hwan, Kang Baek-ho, and Moon Bo-kyung will have to remain like this (until the tournament).” He added, “Moon Bo-kyung will be the first baseman, but looking at the situation, (third baseman) Noh Si-hwan will be selected.” “We can exchange it for Hwan. Both of them are training (first and third base defense) at the same time,” he said, leaving open the possibility of playing at the same time.
In fact, it doesn’t really matter who is the starting third baseman. In a national team that is already lacking in power, the emergence of a hitter who can support Noh Si-hwan and Kang Baek-ho (24, KT Wiz) is welcome. Taiwan, which the national team is currently considering as the most important target, is aiming for the Asian Games gold medal with many major league prospects. Left-hander Lin Yumin (Arizona Double A) with an average speed of 144 km per hour, right-hander Pan Wen-hui (Philadelphia High Single A) with an average speed of 152 km per hour, Liu Zhilong (Boston Double A) with an average speed of 151 km per hour, Chen Bo-yu (Pittsburgh High Single A) with an average speed of 147 km per hour, etc. There is a high possibility that there will be a large number of pitchers who cannot be relieved from the 1st to the 9th inning.
In such a situation, the presence of Moon Bo-kyung, who has a batting average of .300 and can produce double-digit home runs, is of great help. Last year, LG’s hitting coach Lee Ho-jun told Star News, “Moon Bo-kyung has both contact ability and slugging power. He is a player who really reminds me of Choi Hyeong-woo (40, KIA Tigers). He can aim for a home run at times and makes contact when the opponent’s ace comes out. He praised, “He is a player who can make choices by focusing on.”
Moon Bo-kyung, who has grown into a reliable clean-up hitter while mainly batting at number 5 and 6 for his team LG, is trying to become the national team’s number 5 hitter. He expressed his firm determination, saying, “I don’t attach any meaning to the results of the evaluation match. It was very difficult to hit because it was a pitch from the national team’s pitchers, but I focused on getting the hitting timing right. I will try to do my best in the given situation.”