Hanwha Eagles’ Roh Si-hwan (22) has been in a hitting slump lately. The manager has diagnosed it.
In 124 games this season, Noh is batting .296 (144-for-486) with 30 home runs, 96 RBIs, a 0.545 on-base percentage and a 0.932 OPS. Through 20 days, he leads the team in home runs, RBIs, and OPS.
After joining Hanwha with the third pick in the second round of the 2019 KBO Draft, Noh was touted as the successor to Kim Tae-gyun. In 2021, he finally realized his potential. He batted .271 with 18 home runs and showed flashes of his power. Although he fell two short of the 20-homer mark, it was clear that he was a future No. 4 hitter.
However, he slumped last year, hitting just six home runs. Growing pains. He hunkered down in preparation for this season and got back to a hitting form that worked for him. As a result, he completely exploded this year. He finally reached the 30-homer plateau on April 2 against the Jamsil LG.
Noh’s 30 home runs are significant. He is the first player to hit 30 home runs in a season under the age of 23 since Kim Tae-gyun (Hanwha, 31) in 2003. It’s also a good thing for Hanwha. He is the 15th player in franchise history to hit 30 home runs, joining Lee Sung-yeol (34) and Gerard Hoying (30) in 2018, and the first Korean right-hander to hit 30 since Choi Jin-hyun (32) in 2010.
Despite hitting 30 homers, his batting pace slowed down in September. His stamina had deteriorated after the heat wave. Noh has never hidden his desire to play defense, but lately, he’s been asking to play designated hitter.
In his last 10 games alone, he is batting .263 with no home runs and five RBIs. “I’m going to the Hangzhou Asian Games soon, and I’m worried about my hitting.
“Personally, I think it’s impatience,” Choi Won-ho said of Noh’s batting slump, before adding, “I think he wants to set some records (in terms of batting average, home runs, etc.) before going to the Asian Games, but it’s not working out, so he’s hitting with a lot of force. I’m hitting with a lot of power when I should be hitting lightly and in front,” he said.
This was especially true in favorable ball count situations. ”When you’re in a favorable count, two-ball or three-ball one-strike situation, and your timing is late and you get a foul or a pop fly, that means you’re using a lot of power. I’m trying to hit it too hard. I want it to be light up front.”
With 30 home runs under her belt, she is only four away from 100. He also wants to complete the 100-run mark and go to the Asian Games.
Choi is aware of the players’ mental state. ”They’re probably making calculations. For example, starting pitchers who are going to be free agents are calculating how many wins they can get in a month. If that doesn’t happen, they start to get frustrated. It’s the same with relievers. They’re thinking, “I’ve got a few games left, so I can hit a few more.” The same goes for 100 RBIs. It’s the same with 100 hits. If you do the math, you know it’s possible, but it’s not happening, so you get impatient.”메이저놀이터
The national baseball team is scheduled to return home on October 8. Noh will then be able to digest the remaining games.
Currently, Hanwha has three games to regroup. ”Noh will play from the ninth (laughs). If you include the three rescheduled games on the 9th and 10th, he can play a total of five more games. Then he can get more than 20 at-bats. I think he can hit one or two more home runs and get at least six RBIs.”
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