They share virtually the same list of foreign players. 토토사이트 In other words, they are aware of the pros and cons of players who entered Korea early on. So is Jonathan Peraza (26) of the Hanwha Eagles, who has become a sensation since the beginning of the season by banking on his strong batting performance. Multiple teams were attracted to Peraza\'s roaring bat before the Hanwha Eagles signed him.
Expectations have come true. Until the match against LG in Daejeon on Monday, Peraza had a batting average of 0.326 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.027. He is tied for first in the home run category along with KT\'s Kang Baek-ho. OPS is the lone top in the category. Peraza boasts an exceptional batting performance that he can even seek as an MVP.
However, he is not an offense and defense manager at the same time. The KBO League will also continue to face defense issues, which have been pointed out since the days when the team was a minor league player. A team in the Seoul metropolitan area last winter also agonized over recruiting Peraza until the end, but did not offer to Peraza considering its defense.
"We thought about it, too. I thought about it until the end, but I couldn\'t help but think about the defense," A team manager said. "I heard that he changed from an outfielder to an outfielder. I thought he would need more time to adjust to the outfield defense. I decided to bring an outfielder instead of Peraza, considering the overall defensive balance."
In fact, Peraza was mostly an infielder until 2019, when he was 20. Except for the first base, he played in all infield positions and played the most second and third bases. However, the minor league did not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19. Since then, Peraza has changed positions. He has been a corner outfielder since 2021.
His batting was unrivaled since he was a minor league player. However, he enabled his defense to move to the big leagues. Last year, Peraza recorded a 0.959 defense rate with six errors in Triple-A of the minor league. Before confirming his move to Korea, Peraza also had a defense rate of only 0.896.
There is no reversal in the KBO league. In the 38 games in which he played in right field, he played in left field with seven errors and a 0.914. In the game against LG in Daejeon on the 21st, he failed to catch Oh Ji-hwan\'s ball and gave up a timely double. Although it was not recorded as an error, it was a hit that an outfielder with above-average defense power could catch.
The problem is that Peraza is not the only one who is struggling in defense. Hanwha ranks ninth in this category with a DER (in-play batting average) of 0.650 as of last 21st. There are many players in the fielders who are better at batting than defending like Peraza. The batters explode wildly and score a large number of points, but they also concede points in vain.
It is not easy to fill the best 9 with a player with excellent defense. That is why harmony is important. In the case of outfielders, center field players with a wide range of defense fill the gaps of corner outfielders. Currently, Hanwha has defense problems both in the outfield and infield.
Hence, it is regrettable to see him choose the winter of 2022. Mike Tuckman, the Hanwha foreign hitter at the time, mainly played center field and posted a defense ratio of 0.986 with 19 steals. He hit 0.289 with 12 homers and an OPS of 0.796, not as explosive as Peraza\'s, but he was an outfielder with a balance between offense and defense. He also played baseball very well. In order to overcome his slump, he voluntarily made special hits prior to his team\'s training.
After the 2022 season, Hanwha discussed renewal with Tuckman, but failed to narrow the price gap. Tuckman, who remains in the U.S., is currently enjoying the best day of his baseball career. He was promoted to the big league after signing a minor league contract last year and is also a key outfielder for the Chicago Cubs this year.
Ferraza\'s minor league team was also the Cubs, but Tuckman was chosen last year rather than Ferraza. Hanwha had Brian O\'Greddie who replaced Tuckman in 2023 but was kicked out after the worst slump. Nick Williams, who replaced O\'Greddie, also failed to show good performance.