"You have a batting average of 0.229, but you're No. 1 in shortstop WAR?" The reason why Lee Jae-hyun can't be excluded, crazy good defense and extraordinary efforts
"You have a batting average of 0.229, but you're No. 1 in shortstop WAR?" The reason why Lee Jae-hyun can't be excluded, crazy good defense and extraordinary efforts
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The moment the ball hit, Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man's face was slightly distorted. It was not a well-hit ball, but it has emerged as an ambiguous place between left fielders, third base and shortstop without fielders. However, coach Park Jin-man immediately erupted in cheers. Shortstop Lee Jae-hyun chased him to the end and caught the ball. Lee Jae-hyun's strong defense enabled Samsung to overcome the crisis of losing points on the first and second bases with no outs in the eighth inning and win the game.스포츠토토
Samsung won 2-0 in an away game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 22nd. With this victory, Samsung succeeded in turning the mood around by winning three consecutive games after losing three consecutive games. Starter Danny Reyes pitched seven ⅔ scoreless innings, and Bae Chan-seung and Lee Ho-sung combined for scoreless and earned holds and saves, respectively. In the batting line-up, Koo Ja-wook hit a two-run final in the top of the eighth inning, becoming the main player of the victory.
However, coach Park Jin-man had to point out Lee Jae-hyun's stellar defense. "I have to mention Lee Jae-hyun's stellar defense in the eighth inning," Park Jin-man said after the game, referring to Koo Ja-wook, who hit the finishing hit with his pitchers, and Kang Min-ho, who led a good pitcher. "It was a scene in which we held onto the tide that could have been handed over to us." He complimented Lee Jae-hyun, who saved the team by banking on his stellar defense at a critical moment.
In fact, Lee Jae-hyun's performance is not very good on the surface. Lee Jae-hyun had a batting average of 0.269 in the mid-20s and a on-base percentage of 0.434) in the mid-4s through April to fill the vacancy of Kim Ji-chan's leadoff, but he fell into a severe slump in May with a batting average of .10 (0.167) and an on-base percentage of .211). His batting pace rapidly declined as he might have been too much to play both the shortstop defense and the leadoff, which requires a lot of physical strength.
However, coach Park Jin-man could not exclude Lee Jae-hyun from the starting lineup. It was because of his presence in defense. Lee Jae-hyun is in charge of Samsung's keystone through stable defense, wide range, and hustle play. Recently, coach Park Jin-man explained why Lee Jae-hyun is constantly using him as a starter, saying, "Lee Jae-hyun is a little slow in hitting, but he contributes greatly in defense." This is why Lee Jae-hyun is ranked first in the winning contribution (1.61, based on statistics) compared to shortstop replacement despite his batting average of 0.229 in the early 20s.
Of course, Lee Jae-hyun is also making ceaseless efforts to recover his batting sense. Several coaches in the team, including former Rakuden Golden Eagles coach Toshiaki Toshiaki on the Japanese forehead, who recently joined Samsung as quality control (QC) coach, and even Samsung general manager Lee Jong-yeol, who is called a "hitting theorist," reportedly sought advice. As a result, Lee Jae-hyun has been gradually rebounding from his recent at-bats, gradually producing good results.
Recently, Samsung's batting lineup has become structured with the return of Kim Ji-chan. Lee Jae-hyun is also trying to arrange his physical strength in the lower lineup, free from the burden of leadoff. Attention is focusing on whether he can rebound again with invisible efforts and dedication.