Three-time Golden Glove winner Ahn Chi-hong (34) is the new second baseman, but Moon Hyun-bin (20) has no intention of leaving Hanwha’s second base. He is preparing for his second season by vowing to compete with the seniors.
Hanwha signed infielder Ahn Chi-hong in the free agency market last November for a maximum of 7.2 billion won over 4+2 years. The team brought in Ahn, a proven hard hitter, to bolster its batting lineup, but it had to clear up some position traffic. Hanwha had Moon Hyun-bin at second base, who had a successful debut last year alongside 2021 Golden Glover Jung Eun-won. With Ahn’s arrival, Hanwha has three second base options.
Moon played more in the outfield (70 games, 64 starts, 519 innings) than in the infield last year, including second base (54 games, 42 starts, 358 innings), shortstop (9 games, 5 starts, 48 innings), and third base (1 game, 1 inning). He has plenty of experience in the outfield. Chung, who hasn’t left the infield since joining the team in 2018, tried out for the outfield during the final camp in Miyazaki, Japan last year.
Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho is open to a number of possibilities.
“Ahn Chi-hong can play second base as well as first base and designated hitter with Chae Eun-sung. Then, Jung Eun-won and Moon Hyun-bin can compete for second base,” Choi said. If Moon Hyun-bin becomes the second baseman, 토토사이트 Ahn Chi-hong could move to first base and Jeong Eun-won to the outfield. The competition will begin in February at the spring training camp in Melbourne, Australia.
Moon, who played mostly in center field last year and has been the starting second baseman since late August, has no intention of leaving the position. “I’m also thinking about practicing in the outfield, but I’m still greedy for second base. I’m focusing on second base,” he said, adding, “Depending on how I do, the manager will make a choice. If I show a good performance, I think the coach will send me to second base.” He showed a strong commitment to playing second base.
Moon Hyun-bin, whose main position has been second base since he was in school,
He confident that this is where he can best showcase his baseball. After competing with Jeong Eun-won last year, Ahn Chi-hong joined the team this year, so the competition is never-ending, but he sees it as an opportunity.
“I’m so happy that Ahn Chi-hong is here. Last year, thanks to (Chae) Eun-sung, was able to finish the whole season. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stay in the first team. She helped me a lot in terms of mindset and technique,” said Moon Hyun-bin, who added, “I think I can learn a lot from Ahn Chi-hong as well. I’m preparing for the season thinking that it’s a great opportunity. confident about the competition. I’m confident that I can do better than last year, and I’m well prepared. This season will be the year to see how competitive I can be,” she said.
After graduating from Bukil High School and joining Hanwha in the second round last year with the 11th overall pick, Moon spent the entire season with the first team. From spring training to exhibition games to the opening roster, he never missed a game and filled 199 first-team days. In 137 games, he batted .428 (114-for-428) with five home runs, 49 RBI, 47 runs scored, 33 walks, 84 strikeouts, a .324 on-base percentage, a .362 slugging percentage and a .686 OPS, which is outstanding for a rookie.
On top of that, he became just the seventh high school rookie in history to eclipse the 100-hit mark.
His final 114 hits of the season rank fourth all-time among high school rookies, behind only Nexen’s Lee Jung-hoo in 2017 (179), KT’s Kang Baek-ho in 2018 (153), and LG’s Kim Jae-hyun in 1994 (134). He certainly showed the ability to hit the ball, and his small but solid frame (174 cm, 82 kg) and strong swing allowed him to produce long balls with ease. He breathed new life into the Hanwha organization with his competitive spirit that was always on full display.
Moon, who gained international experience after being named an alternate for the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) after the season, also recognizes his own strengths. “I’m focusing on strengthening my flexibility,” said Moon, who plans to move to a training center in Seoul when his alma mater, North Korea’s Bukil High School, goes on a training tour. I had a little bit of pain during the season. If I hadn’t gotten sick at 100 percent, I would have performed better,” he reflected.
“I’m also working hard with weights to get stronger. The stronger I am, the stronger I can turn the bat, and the stronger I can make contact. “Physically, I’ve always given it my all throughout the 137 games I’ve played. After joining the team, I kept running forward from the final camp, rookie camp, and spring training, so my pace dropped quickly at the end of the season. I experienced that firsthand, so this year I will pay attention to pace management.”
Expectations also grew for the team, which was reinforced last year.
“Not only Ahn Chi-hong, but also Kim Kang-min, Lee Jae-won, and other good seniors who have won championships. It’s definitely a plus for our team. I’m looking forward to it.” He also talked about new foreign hitter Jonathan Peraza, saying, “I watched his video and he hits well. 토토사이트 추천 He has a short, strong swing that I like. I’m looking forward to talking to him when I see him.”