As the number of foreign hitters who played in Japan is advancing to the KBO league, interest is focused on whether David MacKinnon (Samsung) and Matt Davidson (NC)
who will be entering Korea for the first time this season, will be able to successfully settle on the domestic stage. is collecting.
MacKinnon, a right-handed corner infielder who joined in place of Jose Pirella, who led Samsung’s batting line for three years starting in 2021
had a batting average of .259 (120 hits in 464 at-bats), 17 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 53 runs in 127 games for the Seibu Lions last year. Scored a goal.
A club official said, “Mackinnon is a mid-to-long-range right-handed hitter with a good pitching plan and excellent contact ability, and has the advantage of being able to defend first and third bases stably.” 바카라사이트닷컴
He added, “Based on his sincere training attitude and Japanese baseball experience, he is expected to adapt quickly to the KBO League.
He added, “With the addition of MacCannon, we expect to secure diversity in infield management and further strengthen the central batting lineup.”
Davidson, a new member of NC, is a large infielder with an outstanding physique of 190 cm tall and 104 kg in weight.
He hit 19 home runs while playing for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp last year.
His tenacity in competing with pitchers and his ability to create long hits in any situation are considered strengths.
NC General Manager Lim Seon-nam said, “Davidson has a lot of experience through MLB and NPB and is a player with excellent long-base hit production ability.
He is a player who shows tenacity in battles with pitchers, with the number of pitches per at-bat in his major league career exceeding 4.2.
I expect him to become the center of the team,” he said.
On the 11th, Japanese sports media ‘Full Count’ introduced foreign hitters who played in Japan and advanced to the KBO league
including Raul Alcantara (Doosan) and Aaron Wilkerson (Lotte). Success stories of pitchers from NPB were also reported.
Of course, there are also cases of failure. Representative examples include Brian O’Grady (outfielder) and Birch Smith (pitcher), who played for Hanwha last year.
When recruiting O’Grady, Hanwha introduced him as “a right-handed
left-handed outfielder with a power hitter type who can expect more than 20 home runs. He can cover all outfield positions, including center field.”
O’Grady participated in 22 games and was notified of expulsion after leaving a poor record of 1.255 batting average (10 hits in 80 at-bats), 8 RBIs, and 3 runs.
He tried to readjust his batting during the Futures stage, but it had no effect.
Smith was evaluated as a first-choice player who uses a variety of pitches, including a slider, curve, and changeup
with a fastball reaching a maximum speed of 155 km/h coming from a 193 cm tall player.
Smith only took the mound once. He served as a starting pitcher in the regular season opening game against Kiwoom held at Gocheok Sky Dome on April 1 last year, and came off the mound early with 3 hits, 1 out, 2 strikeouts, and 2 runs in 2⅔ innings.
When Edison Russell was at bat with 2 outs and 1st and 2nd bases in the 3rd inning
he showed symptoms of a physical abnormality, and upon examination, it was found that he had minor damage to his shoulder muscles.
Hanwha decided that it could no longer wait due to Smith’s slow recovery and took out a replacement card.
‘Full Count’ said, “O’Grady, who played for Seibu in 2022, had a poor batting average of 1.255 last year and was released in June, and Smith
who moved from Seibu to Hanwha like O’Grady, started as a starter in the opening game but injured his shoulder.
He pointed out, “I only pitched in one game.”
The media paid attention to the performance, saying, “I am curious to see what foreign hitters Davidson and MacKinnon
who have had a chance to make a comeback in Korea after playing on the Japanese stage, will show this season