A .196 career first-team batting average, a catcher’s bullet double, and a 30-30 Club Legends commentator.
MBC Sports Plus commentator Park Jae-hong, who was a symbol of the “five-tool player” during his playing days by ushering in the KBO League’s first 30-homer, 30-steal era, was hit by KT Wiz catcher Kang Hyun-woo.
On the 26th, Kang put on his starting mask against Daegu Samsung. In the fifth inning with the score tied 1-1 and the bases loaded, Kang stepped to the plate and on a 2B-1S pitch from Samsung starter Yang Chang-seop, he pulled a four-pitch fastball (142 kilometres) for a double down the left-field line. His bat speed was 171.2 kilometres.메이저사이트
“What surprised me was the speed of the ball. He’s got a lot of speed when he gets hit. He has the ability to deliver power. He doesn’t play a lot of games, so he doesn’t get a lot of recognition, but his ability to deliver power is very good.” Park Jae-hong, the commentator for the game, was surprised by Kang’s batting speed.
Kang took advantage of Yang Chang-seop’s wild pitch to reach third base. Shortly after, Kang Baek-ho walked on an automatic high four. Runners on second and third. Kim Sang-soo and Anthony Alford followed with back-to-back singles to make it 3-1. KT sealed the game in the eighth inning with a single by Moon Sang-chul.
Kang, who began his professional career after graduating from Yushin High School and being drafted by KT in the second round of the 2020 draft, is batting just 1-for-9 with one home run, six RBIs and five runs scored in 51 at-bats in 39 games with the first team, but has been praised for his bat.
In his junior year at Yushin, he showed promise as an offensive catcher, going 31-for-27 with two home runs and 20 RBIs, and was awarded the Lee Man-soo Catcher Award, named after former SK Wyverns manager Lee Man-soo, who was a fixture in Korean professional baseball, to the catcher who performed the best in high school baseball during the year.
At the time, Lee Man-soo said, “Kang Hyun-woo’s catching ability, delivery, and blocking are the best among high school catchers, and he is also a good offensive player. He has a good personality, which is his biggest advantage as a catcher. He has the qualities to become a big-time catcher representing the KBO League in the future.”
Kang Hyun-woo hit a bullet-like double to set the stage for a 4-1 comeback win. After Jang Jang-woo, he is definitely KT’s next best catcher.