“I didn’t think about it, but you can see it right in front of you… ” KIA shortstop’s self-destruction ‘fisherman’s thief king’
“Last year, I had no intention of doing it either. He was running without thinking… ”
KIA shortstop Park Chan-ho recaptured the stealing king in three years with 42 steals in the 2022 season. However, he himself had no particular interest in King Doru. On the 12th (hereafter Korean time), he met KIA Spring Camp at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA, and smiled, “I didn’t plan to do it last year either. You see it before your eyes. I was running without thinking… (Kim) Hyeseong was sick, so I decided to be a fisherman.”
In the real stealing king race, Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom) almost dominated throughout the season. However, on September 3 last year, after hitting the SSG game in Incheon, Kim Hye-seong collided with SSG pitcher Kim Taek-hyeong and suffered a metacarpal fracture, so he had a 20-day hiatus. Park Chan-ho, who had been chasing Kim Hye-seong at close range throughout the season, ran a come-from-behind race during this period.
Park Chan-ho said, “I also have to think about the future a little now. There are also children. Now, rather than rushing to steal 먹튀검증40 bases, you can steal 20 to 30 bases at a really important moment.” Of course, “It’s not like I don’t do it at all. If I can’t steal bases, I can’t be a player. Even if I can’t do it, (Choi) Won-joon and (Kim) Do-yeong do 50 each, and I only have to fill in 20.”
Park Chan-ho is quick on his feet and has good stealing skills, but he plans to focus on increasing his slugging power from now on. He does not change the batting form, but plans to increase power from the current mechanic. In the end, in modern baseball, in order for a player to increase his value, he must catch either average or long hits.
Park Chan-ho recorded a batting average of 0.272, 4 homers, 45 RBIs, 81 points, and an OPS of 0.685 in 130 games in the 2022 season. He was a career high, but he himself also said, “On average, my record is not a good one. Strength is essential to be more productive. Even if he hits the same, he should be able to hit the ball 1-2 km faster. He focuses on putting more power on the batted ball so that he can produce more doubles by penetrating left and right middle.”
With the focus on strength, he plans to refrain from stealing unless there are special circumstances. Park Chan-ho said, “I talked a lot about the direction of the movement with the SC part coach. He adds weight training every year to ensure he doesn’t drop during the season. Weight training is fun. If I don’t do it now, I feel anxious and awkward.”
While preparing for the 2022 season, Park Chan-ho’s body swelled noticeably, and he wrote a career high while establishing his hitting mechanism. The 2023 season is the 2nd hitting upgrade season. Furthermore, he also revealed his desire for the Golden Globes. He said, “Last year, the goal in my heart was the Golden Glove.”
However, last year, he couldn’t readily say the word Golden Glove out of his mouth. No matter who saw it, the blow was not good, but it was embarrassing for nothing. It’s different now. Park Chan-ho also said, “I think I can say that it is a goal now.” Ultimately, the goal is to surpass Oh Ji-hwan (LG) and Park Seong-han (SSG) and become the No. 1 shortstop in the KBO League. Park Chan-ho said, “He wants to be the best shortstop.”