‘El Lot’ that goes well together, a different ‘catcher war’

Last winter, the ‘catcher market’ of the professional baseball Stove League was very hot. With major catchers pouring into the free agent (FA) market, demand is low, and several catchers are wearing new uniforms to welcome the new season.

On the one hand, it was a battle of ‘eyes’. It was also an opportunity for the club to change its main catcher if desired. LG and Lotte also boldly replaced their main catchers. LG recruited Park Dong-won (33), who was released as a free agent from KIA, and Lotte joined hands with LG’s built-in starter Yoo Gang-nam (31).

There were issues related to negotiations, such as the difference between the presentation conditions and the requirements, but in reality, the will of the club had a greater effect. LG took great interest in Park Dong-won, who not only has value as a catcher but also has a competitive edge as a hitter because of his good home run production. In addition, Lotte put stabilization of the mound as its top priority and approached Yoo Kang-nam, who has the best ‘catching ability’, the number one requirement for catchers. When Yoo Kang-nam’s decision to go to Lotte was confirmed, it is said that the Lotte finishing camp, where pitchers intensified their training at the time, became lively.

So, the meeting between LG and Lotte this year is also a confrontation between the two catchers who have moved teams. The two teams already had their first three-game series of the season in resignation last April. At that time, Lotte left a winning series with 2 wins and 1 loss. From the 30th, LG and Lotte will start a three-game series again in Jamsil.

First of all, the two catchers are moving relatively faithfully to the direction of the club’s recruitment in the first place. Park Dong-won has become a home run hunter’catcher’ after wearing the LG uniform. He leads the division with 13 home runs on the season. Park Dong-won ranks first among all players who have filled the required number of at-bats with an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.958.

‘Cannon 砲’ LG Park
Dong-won, as the club hoped, ‘Home Run Hunter’
Season No. 13, solo leader with an arch, showing off firepower in the first confrontation with Lotte
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showed perseverance. Even in this three-game series, the Lotte Battery, where Yoo Gang-nam protects the home room, is the target that can not help but be nervous.

‘Catch-up’ Lotte Kang-nam Yoo
Pay attention to his excellent ‘catching ability’ Recruited
pitchers are the most comfortable throwing target
team Leading the 2nd place in average ERA and living up to expectations

Yoo Gang-nam has a batting average of 0.231 and an OPS of 0.639 this season, and his offensive indicators are not very good. However, Kang-Nam Yoo is the ‘target’ that pitchers can throw the ball with the most confidence among the catchers of the 10 clubs. As a player who is most faithful to his original role as a catcher, he has the advantage of catching the ball very stably going to and from the border line. It is also worth noting that the time for Yoo Gang-nam and Lotte pitchers to breathe is getting longer, and the indicators related to Lotte pitchers are gradually getting stronger. Lotte is in second place with a team average ERA of 3.28 in 20 games in May, a handful away from first place LG (3.13).

Lotte’s team average ERA for the entire season is 7th with 4.04, but the fact that Lotte is 2nd with 3.73 in FIP is also an indicator to look into. The battery is just as solid.스포츠토토

The gap between 1st place LG and 3rd place Lotte is two games. Depending on the results of the Jamsil series during the week, the flow of the lead fight, which also includes second place SSG, may change. First of all, Park Dong-won’s bat punching power and Yoo Gang-nam’s mitt movement emerge as one of the key points to watch in the match between the two teams.

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