July batting average 0.379. At this point, only ‘resigned idols’ are visible in Lotte. For Lotte, it is a ‘laughing’ phenomenon.
Lotte gave up all three consecutive expeditions against KIA on the 28th and 30th. Doosan’s rise was controlled with 2 wins and 1 loss in 3 consecutive matches during the week, but the second half start was not good with 3 wins and 6 losses. The record for July was also the lowest with 5 wins and 12 losses. In the end, 50% collapsed. They fell to 7th place with 41 wins and 45 losses.
It seems that he was unable to keep the upward trend at the beginning of the season and gradually fell behind in the summer. Looking at the July indicators, the team ranked 9th with a batting average of 0.251, 9th with a team OPS of 0.688, 8th with a team ERA of 5.14, and 9th with a team WHIP of 1.59. It was an extreme pitching unbalance.
Only Kim Min-seok, the ‘resigned idol’, flew. In 17 games in July, he recorded 22 hits in 58 at-bats, a batting average of 0.379, 8 RBIs, 3 runs, 3 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.419, and a slugging percentage of 0.466. He is 2nd in batting average in the July league and tied for 7th in most hits. The performance this season is also excellent. 0.283 batting average, 2 home runs, 29 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 0.337 slugging percentage, 0.372 OPS, 0.709 runs batting average, 0.317 runs scored in 79 games.
His ability to push and pull his fastball is excellent. SBS Sports commentator Lee Soon-chul, while broadcasting the Busan KIA match on June 2, praised Kim Min-seok’s own mechanic and hit well when the fastball comes in even with unfavorable ball counts. On the other hand, he pointed out that his batting stance is unstable when responding to breaking balls. Anyway, for a rookie, I’m having a very good season. It is all the more meaningful because it was an activity in July, when a relative analysis was conducted to some extent.
However, the players who had to do it were sluggish or sick. First of all, the three free agents recruited in the 2022-2023 offseason are not operating properly. On the 28th, Kangnam Yoo left the KIA match in Gwangju due to an oblique muscle injury. In 81 games this season, batting average 0.226, 6 homers, 29 RBIs, 30 runs, OPS 0.641. His July record was a batting average of 0.229, 3 homers, 5 RBIs and 7 runs scored. Of course, the gap in defensive capabilities as a catcher is expected to be greater than that of hitting.
Han Hyun-hee and Noh Jin-hyuk are running, but it is not a good case. Han Hyun-hee made a start in the Gwangju KIA game on the 30th after a long time, but became a losing pitcher with 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks and 1 run in 4 innings. He received no batting support. It’s an unsolved case, but it’s hard to see it as unfair when you look at the entire season. 4 wins, 9 losses, 3 holds, 5.40 ERA in 26 games.
Noh Jin-hyeok has a batting average of 0.237, 3 homers, 29 RBIs, 26 points, 7 steals, an OPS of 0.665 and a batting average of 0.245 in 66 games. He has a batting average of 0.103 and 3 RBIs in the last 10 games. A stable defense is the most important shortstop, but it is difficult if the production at the plate is too low. In addition, Ahn Chi-hong, a reserve free agent, skipped the KIA match on the 30th due to symptoms of dam. Still, he’s not bad with a batting average of 0.279, 3 homers, 41 RBIs and 32 runs scored in 82 games this season.꽁머니
Park Se-woong and Na Kyun-an, the two national team selected for the Hangzhou Asian Games, are also not good. Park Se-woong has an average ERA of 3.41 with 4 wins and 5 losses in 17 games this season. It’s not a bad move when you look at the season as a whole. However, in three games in July, it was sluggish with an average ERA of 8.40 and 3 losses.
Na Kyun-an was removed from the first team in the match on the 30th due to a hamstring injury. The start-up scheduled for that day was canceled in vain. 6 wins, 4 losses, 3.56 ERA in 17 games this season. However, in three games in July, it was sluggish with two losses and an average ERA of 6.23. There is also an aspect of the team losing momentum due to Park Se-woong and Na Kyun-an’s sluggish performance in July.
Lotte diligently gathered players in the 2022-2023 offseason. In order to strengthen the depth, a large number of players from other clubs were recruited. Among them, the most hit product is outfielder Ahn Kwon-soo. After overcoming the injury, he returned to the KIA game on the 30th and recorded no hits in 5 at-bats. When these players do well, they energize the team. Lotte has to show the potential of depth in August.