It will take another month to complete. He needs to hang in there.
The KIA batting lineup has relied heavily on Choi Hyung-woo this season. Ryu Ji-hyuk and Park Chan-ho have been outstanding, but they are only putting food on the table. The veteran Kim Sun-bin is in the lineup, but he’s a big defensive liability. There’s also a lot of pressure on his ankle.
In fact, Hwang Dae-in, who shouldn’t be in the second team, and Byun Woo-hyuk and Kim Seok-hwan, who are in the first team, should help Choi Hyung-woo by showing their long balls and clutch abilities. But the reality is that Choi carries a lot of weight. Go Jong-wook and Lee Woo-sung have performed above expectations, but they can’t fully fill the void left by Na Sung-bum.
That’s why foreign hitter Socrates Brito is so important. Last year, Socrates struggled in April, but he came alive in May. This year, his May performance was expected to be even better. As a result, he hit .278 with two home runs, 13 RBIs, and nine runs in April and .318 with four home runs, 14 RBIs, and 12 runs in May.
He’s down from last May, when he batted .415 with five home runs and 28 RBIs, but he’s rebounded this May anyway. In 47 games this season, he’s batting .305 with six home runs, 30 RBIs, 22 runs scored, and an OPS of .819. That’s 12th in the league in batting average and 12th in OPS, but it’s hard to be satisfied with that.
Manager Jong-Kook Kim expected him to hit for extra bases every time Socrates was mentioned. It shows that his on-base percentage eventually converges to his season batting average. However, it would be nice to see a few more long balls in scoring position or at key times. According to baseball stats site Statiz, he’s 15-for-49 with runners in scoring position this season, with four doubles and two home runs. 토토사이트
He’s batting .232 with a .629 OPS in low leverage, .379 with a 1.005 OPS in medium leverage, .333 with a .908 OPS in high leverage, and .222 with a .495 OPS in high leverage+. He’s a bit of a disappointment in High Leverage+, but that’s a decent level for a foreign hitter.
In his last 10 games, he’s batting .341 with one home run and seven RBIs. In particular, in the top of the sixth inning against the Busan Lotte on April 4, he hit a fastball from Han Hyun-hee for the game-winning RBI double. It was the ideal scene that manager Kim Jong-kook could have hoped for.
It is true that he is weaker against left-handed pitchers (0.255) than right-handed pitchers (0.313) and under (0.412). The lack of batting average against lefties is an Achilles’ heel. However, he has a lot of other strengths, and it’s a good enough line considering he’s a two-hitter. With his recent velocity, it will be important for him to be a stronger clutch partner for Choi in June.