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| SSG Landers Choo Shin-soo./News1 © News1 Reporter Jeong Shik |
Choo Shin-soo (39‧SSG), who reported his first hit after two days of Korean professional baseball debut, plans to focus on raising the sense of hitting first. The defender is expected to take place in Incheon.
Choo Shin-soo started as the second nominated batter at the ‘2021 KBO League Demonstration Match’ against the Lotte Giants held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 22nd, and recorded two at-bats, one hit and one walk.
On the 21st, Choo Shin-soo, who was a nominated hitter in his first demonstration game against the NC Dinos, reported a hit after six at-bats on the Korean stage.
Choo Shin-soo is expected to be a designated hitter in his third game, Lotte, on the 23rd.
An official from the SSG team explained on the 23rd, “Choo Shin-soo is planning to focus on batting until today’s game. I decided to go back to Incheon and make a decision after consulting with the coaching staff and players for defense.”
SSG coach Kim Won-hyung announced his intention to appoint Choo Shin-soo as left fielder. Shin-soo Choo played in right field mainly during the major leagues, but since SSG has a leading right fielder called Hanyu Island, coach Kim Won-hyung intends to leave the left fielder to Choo Shin-soo, who played all outfield defenses.
Choo Shin-soo’s defense ability, boasting a wide range of activities and strong shoulders, was also recognized in the major leagues. In particular, the’bodhisattva’ ability is outstanding. Choo Shin-soo, a former pitcher, scored 11 Bodhisattvas in 2009 by throwing a fast and accurate ball from the outfield to the home, and 14 in 2010.
If Choo Shin-soo looks at the outfield defense, SSG will not only stabilize the defense, but also have the advantage of using various batters as designated hitters when placing batting order. To do this, Shin-soo Cho must quickly regain his sense of defense.
Choo Shin-soo has not been able to hit the ground for six months since the final game of the major league regular league in September last year. Like other players, he couldn’t participate in the spring camp, so he couldn’t do defensive training properly. After joining the team on the 11th, he started defensive training properly.
When Choo himself joined SSG, he said, “I haven’t been able to do defensive training in the meantime. I’ll have to get help from coach Lee Jin-young, the best outfielder in the KBO.
Coach Won-hyung Kim, who watched Shin-soo Choo after joining the team, also considered the appointment of’Left Fielder Shin-soo Choo’ during the Lotte game on the 23rd. However, after consulting with Shin-soo Choo and the coaching staff, it was decided to use only designated hitters until the Busan expedition. The plan is to increase the sense of hitting first by reducing the physical burden of defense.
For this reason, Choo Shin-soo is expected to defend himself in his home debut game at Incheon SSG Landers Field, which was newly renamed on the 25th. If Choo Shin-soo finishes quickly adapting to the left field as planned, the SSG can gain great strength in both offensive and defensive.