Samsung’s 2023 season is tough. But it’s not without harvest. One such example is Kim Hyun-jun, 21, the ‘Assault Captain’. He got off to a slow start due to injury, but has been on a furious pace.
Through eight days, he has 42 games, 160 at-bats, 51 hits, a .319 batting average, two home runs, 12 RBIs, 21 runs scored, a .371 on-base percentage, a .400 slugging percentage, and a .771 OPS.
He hasn’t had many plate appearances, but he’s the best hitter on the team. He is usually the table-setter and leads the team’s offence. Recently, he’s been batting first with Kim Ji-chan out for a while. He is doing a great job as the ‘charge leader’.
He joined the team in 2021. He was drafted in the 9th round of the rookie draft. 83rd overall. The lower rounds have been likened to a lottery. “It’s great if you get picked, but if you don’t, you can’t do anything about it.
It’s true that he came to the pros because of his talent, but there’s a difference compared to higher round picks. Therefore, it is not uncommon for players to be registered as developmental players and not make the official roster.
Nevertheless, 토토사이트 Kim was named as a full-time player in his first year. He played 13 games for the first team. He had one hit in four at-bats. His presence was minimal.
In 2022, he broke into the first team, and “broke out” is the right word. In 118 games, he hit .275 with 22 doubles, 57 RBIs, a .365 on-base percentage, a .350 slugging percentage, and a .715 OPS. He was also nominated for Rookie of the Year.
This season, his second in fact, he looks to be even better. It didn’t start well. In an exhibition game, he fractured the metacarpal bone in his right hand while swinging. He underwent surgery.
She didn’t return until May. On 19 May, he played his first game of the season against the Changwon NC. He went 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI. However, he didn’t have a great May, batting just .237.
That changed in June. In 25 games, he hit safely in 18 of them. He had six multi-hit games and four games with three or more hits. He hit .305 for the month and raised his season average to .286.
He’s exploded in July. In six games through the 8th, he is 13-for-27 with a .481 batting average. He had four hits against Daegu Hanwha on the 1st, three against Pohang Doosan on the 4th, and four against Pohang Doosan on the 5th.
This pushed his season batting average over 0.300. At this pace, a triple in his rookie season seems likely. Even though batting average is not as valuable as it used to be, it still means something.
His defence is also good. He’s made a number of great catches to protect Samsung’s outfield. With Park Hae-min’s departure to LG via free agency, there was a hole in the middle infield, but Kim Hyun-joon has filled it completely and has become an ‘indispensable’ player.
He is now a 21-year-old player in his third year of high school. Last year was actually his first year. Because he performed so well, there could have been a ‘second-year jinx’.
There is no such thing. He’s firmly established himself as Samsung’s starting centre fielder. We can only wonder what it would have been like if he had started the season injury-free.