The 2023 season is important for LG Twins Hong Chang-ki.
He, who won the on-base title in 2021, suffered a decline in his performance last year due to the effects of injuries. The LG outfield boasts the best depth in the league recently. The competition is so fierce. This year, the number of competitors has increased again by recruiting outfielder Austin Dean as a foreign hitter. Hong Chang-gi gave up the right fielder position to Austin and changed his position to left fielder. With determination to face the camp, Chong Chang-gi said, “The coach is new, and I also worked hard during the off- season
to return to my old self because I was sluggish last year. I am preparing well to show a good image again.”
Preparing for the new season, Hong Chang-ki said, “When I was good, I watched a lot of videos, got help from people around me, and tried to regain my appearance when I was good.” 메이저사이트
For coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop’s outfield defense that gives one less base, he plans to appoint Austin, a foreigner with a strong shoulder, as the right fielder. Hong Chang-ki will move to left field and alternate between serving as designated hitter with Kim Hyun-soo.
Hong Chang-ki was asked, “Isn’t moving left field hurting your pride?”, “Rather than hurting my pride, I think it’s right for a player to follow the picture the coach wants. He is also a left fielder, a position he played a lot when he was young, so there is no pressure. He just needs to prepare well.”
In addition, Hong Chang-ki said, “I thought the competition in the LG outfield was fierce from before. I entered every season with the feeling that I was always competing. I hope Austin will come and create better synergy.”
Hong Chang-gi, whose strength is ‘snow baseball’, suffered damage due to the expansion of the strike zone last year. However, Hong Chang-ki forgot about the strike zone. He said, “I don’t think I was harmed (by expanding the strike zone). He says that his walks have decreased a lot, but that’s why the number of at-bats was very low and the number of games he didn’t play. He also continued to say that last year he would hit more aggressively than walk. At the same time, the number of walks decreased. Most of all, it was bad because the balance was broken after the injury.”
In June of last year, he suffered an oblique muscle injury and took a break for over a month, losing his batting balance, and after his return, he could not regain his good hitting in the first half.
So Hong Chang-ki said, “My big goal is to spend an injury-free season. I didn’t go out a lot last year, so I’m aiming for that as well.”
This season is important so that 2021 does not become a flashy activity. Hong Chang-ki said, “I am confident this season. It’s not easy to say that he was temporarily sluggish last year, but I think he was sluggish due to injuries. He showed confidence, saying, “I think if he prepares well, he can show a good enough image.”
He was sluggish last year, but he also studied. He said, “It was a season where I learned more last year than the season I did well, and I felt it a lot.”
Hong Chang-ki earned an annual salary of 320 million won last year, the highest salary in the team among players excluding free agents. This year, his salary was cut slightly. The reasons to rebound are multiplied.