KIA’s Na Sung-beom would have been a top hitter if not for injury “There is no pain like injury. Na Sung-beom (35), who has reached the peak of his hitting ability, will lead the KIA Tigers in the 2024 season.
After their first spring training in Canberra, Australia, the Tigers organized their second spring camp at the Kin Stadium in Okinawa, Japan. New manager Lee Bum-ho took over midway through, but the team is pleased with its performance. On the 24th, he said, “It was my first time in Australia, and I performed well as I thought I would. The club has created a good environment. The players are also satisfied and are progressing well.”
Na had batting practice first thing in the morning with Kim Sun-bin and Choi Hyung-woo, two veteran batters. Lee Bum-ho also chatted with the players behind the batting cage and gave them feedback. “He’s been my hitting coach since I came to KIA, and he’s helped me a lot with my hitting,” said Na Sung-beom. He was also one of the people who helped me adapt to the team. I’m glad he became the head coach.”Don’t lose” is the goal
Lee Bum-ho’s main emphasis for his squad is comfort. Na feels it too. “It might be hard to approach the coach, but anyone can approach him comfortably,” he smiled, adding, “I can’t get used to it.” “You have to keep a distance from the coach, but you can approach him comfortably,” he said.
Even as a batting coach, Lee Bum-ho made sure Na didn’t feel pressured. “He’s a hitting coach, so the more I’m not available, the more he’ll come up to me and talk to me. But (Lee) didn’t come right away, he let me approach him over time, so I felt comfortable,” he said. “Even now, the only thing he says to me personally is, ‘Don’t get hurt,'” he said.
Na was a one-time captain with the NC Dinos, but this is his first captaincy with KIA. “Right now, the players are doing a good job without crossing the line. If I need to talk to them, I’ll talk to them, but they’re doing a good job,” he said. After one more batting practice, Na led by example, even colluding.
The best hitter in the 2023 KBO League was home run king Noh Si-hwan. He batted .298 with 31 home runs and 131 RBIs. His numbers could have been even better if he hadn’t been sent to the Asian Games. His 6.93 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and 159.3 wRC+ (adjusted runs created) ranked first. However, there was one player who outperformed Roh in terms of ratios alone. That player is Na Sung-beom.
Last year, Na batted a whopping .365 with an OPS of 1.098 and a wRC+ of 208.2. That means he contributed more than twice as many runs as the league average. It was his best performance since his debut. However, he only played 58 games. Despite playing fewer games, he still managed to hit 18 home runs and his strikeout rate dropped below 20% (14.2%) for the first time in his 카지노사이트 career.
“Nothing has changed (technically). I put into practice what I felt in practice. After my calf injury, I took two months off and watched a lot of games, and even though I didn’t play, I timed myself as if I was playing, so I think that helped me come back quickly.”
“The goal is not to get injured. If I don’t get injured, I can get the time and I can compete. Last year, a lot of guys were injured, not just me, and it was a negative for the team. Fortunately, we haven’t had too many injuries so far in camp, and no one has been seriously injured.” The baseball world considers KIA to have a solid enough history to be a favorite to win the championship. “I don’t think about that,” says Na. The players are preparing, so we just have to do what we’ve been doing.”
The biggest topic of conversation in the KBO is the return of Hanwha Eagles’ Ryu Hyun-jin. Na, who turned pro in 2012, was only playing in the NC League’s second division at the time, so he never got to see Ryu face off against him. “I only saw him on TV,” says Na. I thought I would meet him at least once, maybe someday, but it seems like the time has come sooner. The world of competition is cold, so I will prepare well for a good game.”