Hanwha's 'best prospect in ML' → What happened except for the selection after 1G?... The head coach praised it
Hanwha's 'best prospect in ML' → What happened except for the selection after 1G?... The head coach praised it
Blog Article
A day after his stellar performance, the Hanwha Eagles' new foreign hitter Esteban Floral (28) was excluded from the starting lineup and was absent. Attention was paid to the background, but there was a reason. It was because of mild shoulder pain. Hanwha coach Kim Kyung-moon praised Floral for his performance.
Hanwha came from behind to win 7-6 in a practice game against KT Wiz at Kochinda Baseball Stadium in Japan on the afternoon of the 26th. With this, Hanwha won 4-1 in a practice game against KIA on the 25th and then won two consecutive games.
On the day, Hanwha's starting lineup includes Lee Jin-young (center fielder), An Chi-hong (second baseman), Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Chae Eun-seong (first baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (left fielder), Lee Won-seok (right fielder), Choi Jae-hoon (catcher), and Shim Woo-jun (striker). The starting pitchers are Ryu Hyun-jin.카지노
Compared to the lineup on Saturday, Lee Jin-young, Noh Si-hwan, Chae Eun-seong, and Shim Woo-joon played in two consecutive games. However, Floral, who had high expectations, did not play in the starting lineup at all.
Ahead of the match against KT, manager Kim Kyung-moon said before the match, "It's really better than I thought." "Actually, I put my name in the starting lineup first, but they said my shoulders were a bit heavy while I was playing defense on the 25th. That's why I took the rest group out," Kim said, explaining why he was absent.
Floral was considered a top-rated prospect in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB). In December last year, Hanwha successfully recruited him. MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR), which mainly deals with news of his transfer to the U.S. Major League Baseball, said last year that Floral had strong performances in lower-minor leagues and quickly gained attention in the organization. Entering the 2019 season, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and FanGraph all rated him as the No. 1 prospect in the system.
The media then praised him, saying, "He is a player with more than average speed, powerful power, and diverse tools to have strong shoulders as a center fielder." Floral's overall performance in the big league was 0.173 (17 hits in 98 times at bat) with four home runs, 22 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.291, an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.329, and an OPS of 0.620. For nine seasons in the minor league, he recorded a career batting average of 0.265, 111 homers, 415 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.352, an on-base percentage of 0.456, and an OPS of 0.808.
Prior to the match against KIA, Coach Kim said, "It wasn't just a story that I was evaluated as a promising player in the U.S. for no reason. From what I see, in the actual game, you will see a different batting performance from the practice." "I liked defense and base running since I came to (our team)," he said. "I thought the hitting was a little hard, but the timing changed after the game. So I don't think I have to worry too much."
Floral lived up to the coach's expectations with his skills. In the first inning, he passed the first baseman's key off KIA ace James Nail, and hit a double that fell inside the right-field line. In the fourth inning, he entered the batter's box for the third time with no outs and runners on the first and second bases. The opposing pitcher was Yang Hyeon-jong. In this case, Floral hit a timely two-run double that perfectly separates the right-center field, making it 3-1. As Hanwha won 4-1, the hit became the finishing hit.
What did Kim think of Floral's performance? "Foreign hitters should be able to hit," Kim said ahead of Thursday's game. "But I don't have to worry about hitting. It hasn't been long since I met Korean pitchers, and they seem to be adapting well. Also, their swings during training and during games were different. They know how to fight against opposing pitchers and swing aggressively when playing games rather than during practice. I think young hitters should learn from them."
Regarding Floral's personality, Kim repeatedly said, "I'm quiet, and I don't really like to go around even when I'm resting. I see a lot of good things about baseball as a manager."
Expectations are growing among Hanwha fans due to Florentine's stellar performance. Hanwha will hold a practice game against SSG Landers at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at Fixing Stadium. Will Florentine be able to show off his explosive firepower again.