Will Kim Ha-seong’s shadow and the pain of three years ago be erased?
Edison Russell (29) got a taste of success early. He was the starting shortstop during the Chicago Cubs’ World Series victory in 2016. He was praised for his strong defense. However, after that, domestic violence issues and his offense problems overlapped, and he could not last in the major leagues.
Eventually, he advanced to the KBO League in the 2020 season. When Taylor Motor was kicked out, he wore a Kiwoom uniform during the season. However, in 65 games, he had a batting average of .254, 2 homers, 31 RBIs and 22 runs scored. His hitting suffered from a lack of slugging power, and even the defense was uneasy. He was brought in mid-season, but committed 12 errors.
At the time, Kiwoom gave Russell ample opportunity to play as a shortstop by actually turning Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) to third base. Kim Hye-seong had to adapt to the left field as he was finally pushed out into the outfield. As a result, Russell failed, and Kiwoom lost only time to create ‘Post Kim Ha-seong’.
Russell returns after 3 years. Kiwoom’s evaluation is that Russell achieved growth in batting while playing in the Mexican League after leaving Kiwoom. Although it’s a ride-to-ride league, Russell hit 0.900 and 1.120 OPS in 2021 and 2022. In the end, you have to open the lid again to judge whether it will succeed, but the insider’s view is that you can have hope.
There was also a judgment that if new foreign hitters had to adapt to the KBO League pitchers and the league environment anyway, there was a high possibility that batters who had once tasted bitterness would rebound in many ways. Even for Russell, given his age, he is not yet at the stage of giving up on re-entering the major leagues. There will be a sense of purpose for success in the KBO League. 카지노사이트
Kiwoom needs to develop post Kim Ha-seong in the long term. Kim Hye-seong took the 2021 Golden Glove as the 0th rank. However, manager Hong Won-ki turned it into second base and achieved great success. Kiwoom has no plans to use Kim Hye-seong as a shortstop again.
In the end, a picture in which Russell succeeds in the KBO league and leads the existing Kim Hui-jip, Shin Jun-woo, and Kim Joo-hyung is the most ideal for Kiwoom. Kiwoom clearly tasted the limitations of an inexperienced shortstop in the postseason last year. It is a growing pain he will have to go through someday, but he decided to look at the present and the future in a balanced way by recruiting Russell.
If Russell shows solid defense, he can be reborn as the best keystone combination in the league with Kim Hye-seong. From KBO League top star center fielder Lee Jung-hoo and national team catcher Lee Ji-young, Kiwoom prepared an opportunity to build the league’s best center line this season. In the end, only if Russell succeeds can he meet expectations.
In addition, Kiwoom desperately needs a card that will add weight to the center line. Along with Futures free agent Lee Hyeong-jong, if Russell makes a soft landing, he is a strong candidate for the center lineup. Can we expect Lee Jung-hoo and Yasiel Puig’s productivity and synergy in the second half of the 2022 season from Lee Jung-hoo and Russell? Only when this is done properly can Kiwoom go all the way to winning the Korean Series.