The change of position of 38-year-old veteran Hwang Jae-gyun of the KT Wiz has come true. In a practice game with the Hanwha Eagles, he started as shortstop instead of third baseman, and displayed multi-hits.

KT suffered a come-from-behind loss of 6-7 in a practice game against Hanwha at Kin Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 26th.

KT's starting pitchers Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), Hwang Jae-gyun (striker), Heo Kyung-min (designated hitter), Moon Sang-cheol (first baseman), Oh Yoon-seok (second baseman), Kang Min-sung (third baseman), Song Min-seop (right fielder), Jang Jin-hyuk (left fielder), and Kang Hyun-woo (catcher). The starting pitcher was Kim Dong-hyun.

A large number of KT's main players did not participate in the training group on the day. Cuevas, Heysus, Woo Kyu-min, Choi Dong-hwan, Ko Young-pyo, Kim Min-soo, So Hyung-joon, Oh Won-seok, Son Dong-hyun, Park Young-hyun, Jang Sung-woo, Oh Jae-il, Rojas, and Kim Sang-soo, who were included in the training group, were absent.

While the main shortstop Kim Sang-soo belongs to the training group, KT Hwang Jae-kyun's use of shortstop was noticeable.

KT has undergone significant changes ahead of this season. Shim Woo-joon, the main shortstop, and Um Sang-baek, who played as the fifth starter, have moved to Hanwha as they have become a free agent. Still, KT has not allowed any gap in its capacity as it moves fast. It has acquired Heo Kyung-min, a 35-year-old veteran infielder who played for the Doosan Bears, for a total of 4 billion won (down payment of 1.6 billion won, annual salary of 1.8 billion won, and option of 600 million won) for four years.

Heo Kyung-min, who boasts the best defense, played as a third baseman representing the KBO league. As Heo Kyung-min joined KT, there is a main character who changed his position greatly. Hwang Jae-gyun, who played as KT's main third baseman.

Hwang Jae-gyun, who had a batting average of 0.295 in the 2023 season, saw his batting average fall to 0.260. While playing 137 games, he recorded 13 homers, 58 RBIs, 60 runs and four steals (six failed), with a slugging percentage of 0.383 and an on-base percentage of 0.309. Both the slugging percentage and the on-base percentage did not match those of the 2023 season (0.413 on-base percentage and 0.366).

With the recruitment of Heo Kyung-min, the positions of Hwang Jae-gyun and Heo Kyung-min will overlap. The situation has come in which he does not know whether to give up the main third baseman position to Heo Kyung-min. "It will probably be the last time I will be at third base," Hwang said at an award ceremony in December last year. "I will be at another position in 2025." "Huh Kyung-min, a better third baseman, has come to KT. I have already prepared several gloves," Hwang said. "I think we should move to another position and start the competition. I am preparing calmly."

And this has become a reality. In fact, Hwang started as the second batter and shortstop in the match against Hanwha on the day, and posted two hits and one RBI from five times at bat. Hwang struck out in the first inning and grounded out to the third base in the third inning, respectively, and hit a timely double in the fifth inning. He only hit a fly ball to center field in the sixth inning, but added a hit in the ninth inning to complete a multi-hit game.카지노사이트

Prior to the match, KT coach Lee Kang-chul said, "Please keep an eye on Hwang Jae-gyun from now on," adding, "It will not be easy to become a shortstop. Now (Kim) Sang-soo is the main shortstop. However, it is not easy for Sang-soo to play full time."

"I think it would be great to have a backup shortstop who is good at defense," Lee said. "Young players are keeping the defense, but we will have to wait and see." Lee said, "Hwang Jae-gyun is strong against Ryu Hyun-jin. I heard he is the strongest, but he is the starting pitcher for the opening game against us. That's why we let him go on purpose to take a look. I will not let him play if I fail today." The opponent of KT, which opens on October 22, is Hanwha.

Hwang Jae-gyun has played as a first baseman or shortstop depending on the team's situation as well as a third baseman. In particular, he proved his multiplayer ability by playing various positions in international competitions. He played shortstop at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, first baseman at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12, and second baseman at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"(Hwang Jae-gyun) is basically good at defense handling. He can throw the ball to a certain extent. I have seen him for a long time. He seems to be the most stable player. However, I am not sure what his physical strength and range will be," Lee said. "I am trying to digest all the positions. It will be a battle of bats eventually. They are similar in defense anyway. Still, I think a player who stands out in the offensive side will start."

KT's infield structure is still somewhat under wraps. KT's players are Oh Jae-il and Moon Sang-cheol as first basemen, Oh Yoon-seok and Chun Sung-ho as second basemen, Kim Sang-soo and Hwang Jae-gyun as shortstop, and Huh Kyung-min as third basemen. Of course, Hwang Jae-gyun can fill the gap when Huh Kyung-min is absent. Manager Lee, who originally had Chun Sung-ho in mind as a shortstop, said, "Hwang Jae-gyun is better at the training. Shortstop is not an easy position to take. Since Chun originally played second basemen, he switched to second basemen. When Huh Kyung-min is not out, Jae-gyun can always play third basemen. The bottom line is that you have to bat well."