Hanwha Eagles rookie infielder Moon Hyun-bin has earned the trust of manager Choi Won-ho.
Hanwha signed outfielder Nick Williams as its newest foreign-born player on March 18. After claiming Brian O’Gray off waivers on March 31, Hanwha signed outfielder Nick Williams on March 18 for a total of $450,000. Williams has been playing in the Mexican League since last year, and the club quickly turned to the U.S. minor leagues to find a bat.
Williams made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017, hitting 12 home runs in 2017 and 17 in 2018. In 294 major league games, Williams is batting .251 with 31 home runs and 110 RBIs. Williams, who has been playing for Toros de Tijuana since last year, hit .370 with 29 home runs and 72 RBIs last year, and is batting .304 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs this season.
After arriving in Korea on Feb. 22 and undergoing a medical test at Gudanjeong Hospital, Williams will join the first team on Feb. 24 in Changwon. Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho will monitor Williams’ training for now. If there are no problems with his training, he is expected to play with the first team on the 27th. He has been playing in the Mexican League this year, so as long as he is jetlagged, the plan is to put him in the first team without using Futures.
“Williams used to play center field, but since a few years ago, he’s been playing corner outfield,” Choi said recently, “and (Moon) Hyun-bin is doing a good job in center field.” Moon Hyun-bin, who played only infield until his senior year of high school last year, played the outfield for the first time in this year’s exhibition games and kept his position in the middle infield even when foreign batters were brought in.
With Moon in center field, Williams will move to right field and Chae Eun-sung, who played both first base and right field this year, will be the starting first baseman. “I think Chae Eun-sung will play first base four times and Kim In-hwan two times,” Choi said. Moon Hyun-bin’s move to the middle infield will create a position cascade. Just one month ago, Choi said, “(Moon) has never played the outfield even in school, so we have to take some chances with him,” but in less than a month, he has erased that concern.
Moon is showing enough to make the team give him a chance. In six games last week (July 13-18), Moon hit .381 with three home runs and six RBIs, including his first career home run, to earn a spot on KBO Weekly’s Best Lineup Centerfielders list. Despite being a second-round rookie this year, he hasn’t been intimidated and is playing with confidence. His competitive spirit and youthful ambition are his other weapons.아톰카지노
Along with Yoon Young-chul (KIA), Kim Dong-heon (Kiwoom), Park Myung-geun (LG), and Kim Min-seok (Lotte), Moon is being considered for the league’s Rookie of the Year award. He’s batting .258 with three home runs, 24 RBIs, 16 runs scored, and a .258 average in 60 games. He’s batted everywhere but third and fourth this year, and his presence on the team is growing to rival his seniors.