Doosan Bears’ new foreign hitter Jose Rojas, who is about to debut in the KBO league, raised the feeling of hitting to the fullest with his first multi-hit in the demonstration game.
Lohas started as the designated hitter twice in the 2023 KBO demonstration game against KT Wiz held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 21st and recorded 2 hits, 2 RBIs and 1 run in 4 at-bats.
Rojas turned the bat vigorously that day. In the first at-bat in the first inning, he retreated with an infield ground ball against KT starting pitcher So-Jun Sohn, but in the second at-bat in the top of the third inning, he blew a sharp ball into the outfield.
At the beginning of the 3rd inning when Doosan was trailing 0-1, he knocked out a double that fell next to the right fielder from 2 out 2 base and tied the game 1-1. On the 18th, against the KIA Tigers, after reporting a hit in the demonstration game, the horseman girl continued the streak of hits in 4 games.
Rojas added one more hit in the third at-bat in the top of the fourth inning. The team tasted the joy of multi-hits for the first time in an exhibition game by knocking out an RBI in a timely hit in a chance with one out and bases loaded with a 4-1 lead.
Rojas raised concerns as his batting pace slowed due to a minor injury in the spring camp in Australia in February. However, after entering Korea, it seems that his condition is gradually returning to the normal track in time for the regular season opening game on April 1st.
Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop also said before the game against KT that day, “Lohas is not the type to strike out with a ridiculous ball as was reported before signing. It seems,” he gave a passing grade.
In addition, he expressed strong trust in Lohar, saying, “When I saw his swing speed, his ability to cope with breaking balls, and the way he fought pitchers in the at-bat, he was competitive enough in the KBO League and could show a good performance.” 스포츠토토
From the 2019 season to last year, Doosan gave up on renewing the contract with Jose Miguel Fernandez, who had helped him in the center lineup for the last four seasons, and recruited Rojas.
Rojas is a right-handed and left-handed outfielder with a height of 183 cm and a weight of 90 kg. He recorded a batting average of 0.188 and 6 homers OPS of 0.584 in 83 major league games and a batting average of 0.286 and 92 homers OPS of 0.850 in 535 minor league games.
Although it is not a giant gun type, it is expected to show good performance with key hitters such as Kim Jae-hwan, Yang Seok-hwan, and Yang Eui-ji based on a stable hitting mechanism and pioneering plan.