In the 2023 KBO League, the Lotte Giants’ away games against SSG Landers, which were scheduled to be held at Munhak Stadium on the 5th and 6th, were all canceled due to rain. In the game on the 6th, Lotte led 1-0 until the end of the 3rd inning, but it was stopped due to rain and a no game was declared.
Since it was early in the game, it is difficult to be certain that Lotte would have won by keeping a one-point lead to the end. However, Ahn Kwon-soo, who played as the first batter, hit a double in the middle right in the top of the first inning, leading Lotte to score first, which was impressive. Due to the no-game declaration in the rain, Ahn Kwon-soo’s double did not remain on the record, but it was enough to prove that the current batting condition is good.
Ahn Kwon-soo got off to a good start this season with a batting average of 0.308 and three RBIs with no home runs and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.819 in three games. He plays the leading role in Lotte’s batting line by serving as the first hitter in all three games he has participated in.먹튀검증
Last winter, Lotte succeeded in reinforcing the lineup by recruiting free agents Noh Jin-hyeok (5 billion won over 4 years) and Yoo Kang-nam (8 billion won over 4 years). However, despite the addition of Noh Jin-hyeok and Yoo Kang-nam, Lotte did not find the right person for the first batter. However, Ahn Kwon-soo, who transferred to Lotte last winter, solved the team’s worries by being the first hitter.
Right-handed and left-handed outfielder Ahn Kwon-soo went through many twists and turns until he wore a Lotte uniform. Ahn Kwon-soo, born in 1993, is a Korean-Japanese who came out of Waseda, Japan. At the end of the 2020 rookie draft, he was nominated by the Doosan Bears with the 99th ranking in the second 10th round. In 2020 and 2021, he was mainly used as a backup agent such as counter-defense.
Last year, he played in 76 games and digested 267 at bats, the most since his KBO league debut. He had a batting average of 0.297, no home runs, 20 RBIs, an OPS of 0.711, a batting average close to 30%, and an on-base percentage of 0.368. However, Ahn Kwon-soo, who seemed to be securing a starting position in the outfield, did not receive a chance to play as the season approached the end. After the season, he was released from Doosan.
The reason was that Ahn Kwon-soo, a Korean-Japanese, had to enlist after the end of the 2023 season if he continued to play in the KBO League due to the Military Service Act. It was difficult for Doosan to continue to use Ahn Kwon-soo, who would obviously leave the team after the end of the 2023 season. Doosan decided that it was better to give young outfielders with potential a chance.
However, Lotte, which finished 8th last year and failed fall baseball for 5 consecutive years, recruited Ahn Kwon-soo to reinforce the outfield. Although he was scheduled to play for only one year this season, he set the direction to produce team results by utilizing Ahn Kwon-soo, who has a sense of immediate combat.
In the Lotte outfield, it is difficult to pick a clear starter among domestic players, except for Rex, a foreign hitter. There are young outfielders who show potential, but it is true that they lack competitiveness in the offensive line compared to the main outfielders of other teams. While they grow, if Ahn Kwon-soo plays a role in making up for the weaknesses of Lotte’s outfield, it can be a sufficiently successful recruitment for Lotte.
This season, Lotte is considered one of the top 5 candidates, but it is evaluated that it is not a strong enough force for fall baseball. Attention is focusing on whether Ahn Kwon-su, who burns the last flame in the KBO League, will be able to help Lotte advance into the postseason for the first time in six years.