Before the start of the season, NC’s third base in professional baseball was mentioned as a vulnerable position. Seo Ho-cheol (27, photo) was not the number one player there either. The expectation was that if there was a vacancy at 3rd or 2nd base, it would fill the void.카지노
But now Ho-cheol Seo is the hottest hitter in the league. He’s fighting for a lead hitter as the season halfway point approaches. The competition is so fierce that the first place changes after only one day. In the game against LG on the 20th, he recorded 2 hits in 4 at-bats and rose to the top in batting for the first time this season. On the 21st, SSG Guillermo Heredia struck again with a batting average of 0.335, hitting 3 hits in 4 at-bats. Seo Ho-cheol is 2nd in batting average by 3 leagues with a batting average of 0.332.
Seo Ho-cheol joined NC in the 87th overall in the 2nd 9th round in 2019. As can be seen from his draft rankings, he did not receive much attention during his first professional year. His first name was announced in 2021, when he was a managing director, when he became the Futures League batting champion with a batting average of 0.388.
Last year, his first season after being discharged, he had a batting average of only 0.205 in 214 plate appearances in 89 games. But he became a bitter pill. He started getting used to facing first-team pitchers. He also gained confidence.
Ho-cheol Seo is the most aggressive hitter in the league this season. His 3.5 pitches per plate appearance are the fewest in the league. When the desired ball comes in, he swings the bat without hesitation.
Even in the batter box standing position, an aggressive tendency is revealed. Seo Ho-chul takes one more step inside than the others and takes one more step forward to hit. He is aggressive both in front of and on the left and right. From a pitcher’s point of view, it is not easy for him to play a game on his body, which is his weakness, against a close hitter.
In general, going forward makes it harder for fastball opponents, but it makes dealing with breaking balls a bit easier. You can hit the ball before it breaks. Last season, Seo Ho-cheol’s contact rate against his changeup was only 40.5%. This season, it rose to 78.1%. Even if he throws a changeup, he hits it for sure. The originally good fastball response is still the same. The contact rate was 93.1%, which was better than last season’s 85.3%.
It is too early to predict the hitting king. There are still many more matches left.
Not only Heredia, but also team seniors Son Ah-seop (0.329) and Park Min-woo (0.323) are closely chasing Seo Ho-cheol.
Seo Ho-cheol laughed, saying, “After the game, before checking the record, my friends capture the batting rankings and send them to me.” He can’t help but be conscious, but he tries to clear his mind as much as possible. Seo Ho-cheol said, “The first half isn’t over yet, but if you’re too conscious, it will only turn into a negative. It’s just the idea that every day is a new game, a new at-bat.”
If Seo Ho-cheol becomes the No. 1 hitter this season, it will be another history. For the second time ever, he has the title of first-team batting king from Futures batting king. Other than KIA Hyung-woo Choi, this is a case that has not yet occurred. Choi Hyeong-woo, who is like a symbol of ‘late maturity’, ranked first in the futures batting title as a member of the National Police Agency in 2007, and won the first team batting king twice in 2016 and 2020.
It’s hard to compare Seo Ho-cheol to Choi Hyeong-woo, one of the best hitters in KBO history. However, it seems clear that Seo Ho-cheol is starting to go his own way after his long wait.