The hottest man in the exhibition game. Lee Seong-gyu (30) of the Samsung Lions is the ‘single leader in home runs’. The resolution to face this season is different.
Lee Seong-gyu, who joined Samsung in메이저놀이터 2016, was expected every year as a promising prospect. However, his frequent injuries hampered him and prevented him from fully developing his prowess. His career performance over his five seasons was 148 games with a batting average of 0.179, 12 home runs and 38 RBIs for an OPS of 0.594. His last season, after coming back from an ankle injury, was sluggish, with a batting average of 0.074 and just 13 appearances.
However, we cannot overlook the DNA of Lee Seong-gyu, who became the home run king by shooting 31 homers in the Futures League in 2018. This year, ahead of the start of the season, the start is very refreshing. Lee Seong-gyu played in 10 demonstration games and hit 0.429 with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs. OPS is approaching 1.526.
Seong-gyu Lee is showing off his productive power by hitting 4 home runs in 23 at-bats, leading the exhibition game home run division alone. In the game against Gocheok Kiwoom on the 24th, he exploded a come-from-behind 3-run home run against left-hander Lee Seung-ho, contributing to the team’s 4-3 victory.
After the game, Lee Seong-gyu recalled about the home run, “I tried to play aggressively, but it seemed like a good hit came out because it was a miss. I didn’t think too much, I just tried to hit it when I saw it.”
Regarding the feeling of hitting, Lee Seong-gyu said, “I have a good feeling. But since it’s an exhibition game, I don’t think much about batting average and home run records. I’m just trying to maintain a good feeling now.”
Samsung had the misfortune of having their main center fielder leave right before the start of the season. Kim Hyun-joon suffered a fracture of the right hand bone and cannot play for about 3 months. Currently, along with Lee Seong-gyu, Yoon Jeong-bin and Kim Seong-yoon are being discussed as replacements for Kim Hyun-joon.
Lee Seong-gyu said, “Every player has greed. I’m not sure yet (the starter), but I’m still trying to find my place as much as possible.”
Lee Seong-gyu, who watched the infield defense of first and third base until last season, has moved to the outfield this year. Regarding this, Lee Seong-gyu said, “I feel more comfortable going outfield than when I was in the infield. Outfield defense is okay because there are not many difficult hits yet. I think I need to defend a little more. I’m adapting well little by little.”
For Lee Seong-gyu, who suffered from injuries every season, it is more important than anything else to spend the year in good health. Lee Seong-gyu said, “There is about a week left in the season, but the thing to be most careful about is injury. And I will try to maintain the current batting pace.”
This year is a great opportunity to imprint the three letters of Lee Seong-gyu’s name on fans. He pledged, “I want to do well because the fans have supported me a lot. This year, I want to show a lot of better images at the first team baseball field. I don’t set a goal. I try to do my best every day.”