We must overcome and overcome the word ‘horyeong zone’.
After taking office as the KIA command tower in 2015, KT second-team coach Kim Ki-tae paid particular attention to the two hitters. They were infielder Park Chan-ho and outfielder Kim Ho-ryeong. The two had excellent defense, but had one thing in common: weak hitting. Still, I expected them to grow into regular players in both offense and defense by constantly sending them to games.
In particular, coach Kim Ki-tae, as a batting expert, generously passed on his skills and know-how to the two prospects. In the end, Park Chan-ho pushed Kim Sun-bin to second base and became the starting shortstop. After coach Kim left the team, he opened his eyes to batting three years later. On the other hand, Kim Ho-ryeong has not played more than 100 games in a single season since 2016.
Ho-ryeong Kim was not a starting player even in the system of former manager Matt Williams and manager Kim Jong-guk. It is because his hitting was not reliable enough to appeal only with defense and running. The story of hitting a double against Shohei Otani (then Nippon Ham Fighters) at the Okinawa spring camp in 2016 and receiving allowance from former manager Kim Ki-tae is also a story seven years ago. 바카라
Still, Kim Ho-ryeong’s hitting is improving little by little. Ahead of the 2022 season, it became a hot topic that he exchanged feedback on batting while conducting individual training with Na Seong-beom, who transferred to a FA contract. In 54 games, batting average 0.273, 1 home run, 8 RBIs, 21 runs, OPS 0.689.
Starting center fielder Socrates Brito had to rest for a month after his nose was fractured by Kim Gwang-hyeon’s pitch in the Incheon SSG match on July 2nd. At the time, Kim Ho-ryeong played as a center fielder and held a ‘full-time showcase’. For the month of July, batting average 0.245, 1 home run, 4 RBIs, 10 runs scored. It didn’t look very impressive.
KIA people say, “It’s comfortable when the ball hits Kim Ho-ryeong.” Ultimately, in order for Kim Ho-ryung to increase his salary and become a starting pitcher, he must become a player who can give comfort even when he enters the plate. At 31 years old, I am no longer young, and it is time to explode. The conditions for him to consistently create chances in the first team are not bad either, thanks to his league-leading defense and running base. For KIA, Socrates’ center field defense is not very good, so Kim Ho-ryeong’s offensive power is even more disappointing.
With a little more support from Kim Ho-ryeong’s bat, the KIA outfield team can run more stably. It’s because you can turn Socrates into left field. In the end, you have to go beyond your nickname of ‘Horyeongzone’ to truly command the KIA outfield. As Kim Ho-ryeong, Choi Won-joon has to show something until he returns after being discharged in June.