The home turf of the KIA Tigers is in stark contrast to two to three years ago. The team shook off the pain of having only spent half a year on Park Dong-won (LG Twins), who worked hard to recruit him for a long time, through a trade deal with Kim in July last year. Shim Jae-hak, then general manager of the team, explained that the trade deal with Kim is a measure that foresees both the present and the future.
First of all, stable defense capability unique to Kim and pitcher lead are expected to have a significant impact on the mound and team defense. In fact, that happened. As Kim took the lead, he naturally gained strength to endure young catcher’s growing pains. Without Kim, incomplete backup catcher would have played in the home turf of the current first team. This is not beneficial to both the team and individuals.
He signed a three-year, non-FA multi-year contract worth 2.5 billion won (approx. Shim Jae-hak said, “It would be the best if Kim Tae-gun firmly takes the center stage in 2024 and 2025, and if junior players come up to compete with Kim in 2026, the final season of the contract, it will be the best.”
So far, that has been the case exactly. No, it can get faster. Han Jun-su, 25, who intensively accumulates experience as a backup player thanks to Kim, has demonstrated his influence in offense and defense to the extent that it is not an exaggeration to say that he is a co-star. He will participate in the competition in almost the same proportion as Kim.
In 78 games this season, Han had 61 hits in 193 times at bat, 0.316 four homers, 29 RBIs, 28 runs scored, and on-base percentage 0.372 slugging percentage 0.456 OPS 0.828, or 0.268. He made just three errors during 424.2 innings. He ranks 13th in catcher with WAA (contributing to victory against average). PASS/9, which showcases blocking capability, ranks 18th in catcher with 0.567. The only concern is that his stolen base blocking rate is 15.9 percent, which is low.
Even in the ABS era, catcher’s defense capability is important. In this regard, Han Jun-su has endless potential to develop both offense and defense. He also had three hits in the game against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday. Surprisingly, his batting average of 0.316, which is the second best among catchers in the league, is the second best after Yang Eui-ji, the Doosan Bears’ 0.328.
Han Jun-su almost hits the pitcher face-to-face. It is an open stand. It is easy to attack the body. However, he has the ability to make contact on the outside so as not to be weak. He was classified as a catcher with one-shot hitting power, but rather, he stands out more than one shot. If he continues to play Abidge, the number of home runs may rise sharply at some point. Of course, KIA doesn’t even bother to ask Han Jun-su to attack right away.
Ahead of the match against the Gwangju NC Dinos on the 24th, head coach Lee Bum-ho said, “I started thinking of Junsu as the second catcher. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any problem with the offense at all. I think I’m the top-ranked backup catcher of any team. I was worried about the defense a lot, but these days, I think I’ve improved a lot when I see him concentrating as a catcher, not only catching but also blocking.”
He also studies a lot in tune with the ABS era. “I thought I would grow into a much better catcher if I study a lot about ball mixing,” Lee said. “I actually study a lot. I think we have a good, big catcher in our team. Thank you for playing in the game without any pressure.”
BY: 안전놀이터