“Ji-hyeok gets us runs with ease.”
Samsung used Ryu Ji-hyeok, 29, in four games after acquiring him in a trade. Ryu went 2-for-13 with a home run, three RBIs, four runs scored, one walk and one stolen base. He doesn’t have many hits, but his RBIs and runs scored outweigh his hits. Manager Park Jin-man appreciates Ryu’s ability to produce runs.
Since joining Doosan in 2012, Ryu has hit .270 with 12 home runs, 205 RBI, 322 runs scored, and a .670 OPS in 791 career games. He’s had a 2.7+ walk rate the last two years, and this season he’s had a 3+ walk streak through early June with KIA.
Defensively, as always, his biggest strength is his ability to play every position in the infield. At KIA, I played every position except shortstop. In fact, in the early days of Doosan, I saw a lot of shortstop backups. He was a defensive infielder and a little quick on his feet, but as time went on, he developed his strengths in hitting.
Manager Park Jin-man even prioritizes Ryu’s batting average over his defense. “What we’ve always lacked is the ability to score runs in our chances. If we had a runner on third base, we often couldn’t get a hit,” he said. In fact, Samsung’s clutch ability is not the best in the league.안전놀이터
“He hasn’t played a lot of games, but he’s a player who can make up for the lack of RBIs. He has the ability to make a sacrifice fly even if it’s not a hit. In the middle of the game, he can easily and easily score runs and not lose the flow.” In fact, in the game against the Changwon NC on August 8-9, he also produced an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the second half.
When a player changes teams, the environment around them changes, so they need time to adapt, and sometimes it takes time for their skills to come out. However, when the team changes and the coaches around him change, he finds different advantages and charms and is highly appreciated. Kia was well aware of Ryu’s ability to produce runs. However, Kia has been using him primarily as a table-setter.
Samsung currently utilizes Ryu as a first baseman in place of the injured Oh Jae-il. This is because of his multi-position ability. Add to that his RBI production, and they’re looking to use him more broadly. For Ryu, it’s a chance to broaden his baseball spectrum by experiencing a different kind of baseball at Samsung. It’s a nice effect of the trade.
Park Jin-man said, “Ji-hyuk has a lot of experience, and he can hit and field well. He has the ability to fill in the gaps in our team. I’m looking forward to him because he’s a clutch player. We don’t have enough players who can do their job when it matters, and Ji-hyuk is doing a good job.”