Kang Baek-ho (24, KT Wiz)’s 2022 season was a ‘nightmare’. He only returned in June from a pre-season fractured toe, which was later compounded by a hamstring injury. As a result, his regular season batting average dropped to 0.245 (58 hits in 237 at-bats). Kang Baek-ho, who is currently digesting the Arizona team’s spring camp in the United States, said, “I think I’m recovering because I took a break for a whole season.”
Kang Baek-ho’s trademark is his exhilarating swing. He mainly puts the hitting point in front and hits hard balls. It is also the secret to hitting double-digit homers for four consecutive years since 2018. Most home run hitters put the hitting point ahead like Kang Baek-ho to make a strong hit. However, he needs to prepare his hitting quickly, so he is vulnerable to breaking balls. Kang Baek-ho blamed himself, saying, “If the hitting point is ahead, there is less time to check the ball (type of pitch)comswing rate increases. Last year, I made a lot of swings and couldn’t make a good hit.” Although the hitting point was ahead카지노사이트, the number of long hits decreased due to various complex factors. Instead, strikeouts per at-bat increased.
According to Sports 2I, a baseball statistics company, Kang Baek-ho’s miss rate last year was 8.7%, up 1.3 percentage points (p) from the previous year. His at-bat productivity dropped, with RC/27 deteriorating to 3.94. RC/27 is the estimated number of runs assuming that a batter completes all 27 out counts. Kang Baek-ho’s RC/27 in the 2021 season was 9.85, ranking first among 53 hitters who filled the regular at-bat.
Kang Baek-ho said, “The hitting points of the 2021 and 2022 seasons have changed a lot. The points of the 2020 and 2021 seasons are also different,” and said that there were subtle differences every year. While serving as the team’s central hitter, he focused on producing long hits. As a result, the hitting point was naturally formed in front. But this year is different. It can be sensitive, but we are boldly adjusting the hitting point. Kim Kang, KT hitting coach, said, “After checking the data, there was no difference in the launch angle and hitting speed, but there was a difference in the spin of the ball. I decided to hit a line drive ball while keeping my own hitting zone.” said.
Baekho Kang’s hitting is more like a rotational hitting system (rotation of the waist) rather than a weight shift system (movement of the center of gravity). The rotational hitting system is a batting theory proposed by Ted Williams, the last 40% hitter in the US Major League (MLB). Put the center of gravity behind and rotate the pelvis strongly to create a strong hitting ball. There is less movement than the weight shift system, so accurate hitting is possible. Putting the hitting point behind can be disadvantageous in producing long hits, but Kang Baek-ho makes up for his shortcomings with a strong waist and a solid lower body.
The most anticipated is the psychological effect. Kang Baek-ho said, “The focus is on hitting, not long hitting, but I feel comfortable and it fits well.” It’s okay because I need it,” he said.
Kang Baek-ho’s change test bed is expected to be the World Baseball Classic (WBC) scheduled for March. Kang Baek-ho was named to the final roster for the WBC national team despite his poor performance last season. As Choi Ji-man (Pittsburgh Pirates) failed to participate in the tournament, the performance of first baseman Kang Baek-ho became important for a left-handed batter like him. Kang Baek-ho expressed his confidence, “I am in really good condition. My hitting and physical condition are the best during the 6 seasons (I digested the camp in the pro).”