'Kim Ha-sung → Lee Jung-hoo → Kim Hye-sung' and Song Sung-moon, 'captain + multi-position + central hitter' become another turning point
'Kim Ha-sung → Lee Jung-hoo → Kim Hye-sung' and Song Sung-moon, 'captain + multi-position + central hitter' become another turning point
Blog Article
Heroes who had limited performance in Korea left the team one by one. This is why Song Seong-moon (29) of the Kiwoom Heroes, who has the captain's armband, a high-paid player, and the heavy burden of being the team's best hitter, has a different determination for the new season.바카라
Kim Hye-sung (26) signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the season. This is Song Seong-moon, who saw his fourth Major League Baseball (MLB) advancement since joining the team in 2015. This time, however, the weight is different.
He ambitiously stepped on the professional stage after receiving the Lee Young-min batting award, which is given to the highest batter in high school, but suffered a long and difficult time. He finally soared to the stage 10 years after his debut and even wore the national flag. He also smiled broadly at the annual salary negotiations after the season. He signed for 300 million won, up 130.8 percent from the previous 130 million won.
As such, his shoulders have become heavier. Unlike when Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) left for the MLB after the end of the 2023 season, he has no choice but to feel a different sense of responsibility. With Kim Hye-sung also out, no one comes to mind except Song, who needs to grasp the weight of the lineup.
In 2024, Song was overshadowed by Kia Tigers and Choi Jeong, but he displayed outstanding performance. Song, who always felt regret, had the best time since his debut last year. In 142 games, he posted a batting average of 0.340 with 19 homers, 104 RBIs, 88 runs and 21 steals, a on-base percentage of 0.409, a slugging percentage of 0.518 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.927.
The contribution to victory (WAR, Stattiz standard) was 5.83, followed by Kim Do-young (8.51) and Mel Rojas Jr. (KT, 6.34) among the fielders.
Kim Hye-sung left, but Kiwoom did not make any special reinforcement. The unusual choice of two foreign hitters was also a desperate measure to fill the strength of the poor batting lineup. They include Yasiel Puig, who has already played for Kiwoom, and Ruben Cardinez, who played briefly for the Samsung Lions last year.
The team was the lowest with a batting average of 0.264 last year. Although it is said that two foreign hitters were brought in, it is too much to expect a significant increase in power as Kim Hye-sung is absent. Kiwoom is looking forward to seeing Song Sung-moon grow further, which made a sharp rebound last year. In that case, we can expect the growth of young guns starting with the hot central batting line and expect a better-than-expected result.
Besides the sense of responsibility as a captain, this season can give Song another motivation. He is a rival to Kim Do-young, who showed the best performance last year. There are many outstanding rivals at the third base, including Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), the 2023 home run king who suffered ups and downs last year, and Kim Young-woong (Samsung), who hit 28 home runs last year.
Song Seong-moon has become the ace in his team. Ahead of the spring camp, Hong also gave Song a defensive task. He thus instructed him to prepare to play multiple positions. In some cases, he could have to keep the second base without Kim Hye-sung.
It is a spring camp that has become busier in many ways. Kiwoom has been sweating profusely at the Arizona Athletic Ground in Mesa, Arizona since April 24. The team will then move to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where it will host its second camp, and hold seven practice games with the Zhongxin Brothers, Daigang Hawks and Rakuten Monkeys until May 5.
At the same time as confirming the possibility of multi-positioning, he must go through the process of convincing himself that his performance last year was not a flash. In addition, he must play a role in leading his team members as a captain at the same time. It is expected to be a valuable and hectic time for Song.
If we take advantage of this precious time, it could serve as an opportunity for us to take another step forward. While 2024 was a time to publicize the name of Song Seong-moon to baseball fans, 2025 could be another turning point that could significantly change Song's career.