Park Geon-woo (34-NC Dinos), the “10 billion outfielder,” has spoken out about the KBO’s robotic umpire strike zone, which will be introduced for the first time in the world this season.
The NC Dinos left Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the morning of the 30th for Tucson, Arizona, where they will hold their spring training camp.
The NC USA spring training camp will be held for 36 days from January 30 to March 5 with 11 coaching staff members and 45 players, including head coach Kang In-hwa. Starting with a voluntary training session on January 31, it will be held on a 3-day training-1-day rest schedule from February 1 to March 2, with two exhibition games against the LG Twins and a self-evaluation game to get a feel for the real thing.
Park Gun-woo, who received a lot of attention from NC fans at the airport, met with reporters before his departure and said, “I prepared as I always do, and I ate well and rested well. I think we just need to prepare to go one step further. 바카라사이트 We’re missing some good players, but I’m sure the other players will make up for it, and I’m not doing it alone, so we’ll try to prepare well together in camp.”
Park, who turned pro in 2009 and became a starter in 2016
He is one of the KBO’s leading shift hitters, consistently hitting in the triple digits every year. His career batting average is 3.026 (3,996 hits in 1,303 at-bats), the second-best in the league behind Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom). Park made the move from Doosan to NC in December 2021 with a six-year, 10 billion won free agent jackpot.
In his second year of free agency last year, Park batted .301 with 12 home runs and 85 RBIs in 130 games, ranking seventh in the league in batting average, fourth in slugging percentage, and sixth in on-base percentage. His 727⅔ defensive innings and 4.97 wins above replacement (WAR) earned him his first career Golden Glove.
“I was so happy to win the Golden Glove,” Park said, recalling the ceremony in December of last year. “It would be great to win it again, but I’ve achieved what I’ve aimed for in my life, so now I think the Golden Glove will follow if I do well. The first time is the hardest, but if I do well, I think I can get it again.”
When asked if he had any other goals, he replied, “I wanted to win the Golden Glove first. Of course, if (Son) Asup becomes a batting champion like his brother, it’s enviable and cool, but it doesn’t mean I want to do it. His brother always came in second, then first. “I don’t have many other goals, because you can get injured, so the batting title is decided by the heavens,” he said. I hope I can do better and finish my baseball career well. I don’t think I’m going to get any better. I want to maintain my skills well and play quietly for a long time.”
Park also expressed his opinion on the KBO’s major rule revision for the 2024 season.
The 2024 KBO, which kicks off on March 23, is set to undergo an unprecedented transformation. Pitch clock, which has already been used to speed up baseball in Major League Baseball, will be introduced in the first half of the season, and the world’s first automated ball judgment system (ABS) will replace pitches. In addition, limiting defensive shifts and expanding base sizes will also lead to a wave of change in the KBO.
Park Gun-woo said, “First of all, opposing teams don’t really use defensive shifts against me. Hanwha and SSG go to the side where I hit a lot,” he said, adding, “What I’m more curious about is the strike zone. I hope to experience it soon.”
“I think umpires are human, so they can make mistakes and get a little emotional”
Park said, “but when one outside ball is called a strike, I want all the umpires to call strikes on balls that come into the zone. 토토사이트 순위 It was confusing because each umpire had a different zone.” “I don’t mind if the robot umpire calls a ball that is one-bound on the ground a strike. If that happens, we just have to deal with it. Because that’s a strike. I just want to see some consistency.”
As the core of NC’s power in 2024, Park Gun-woo is determined to lead NC’s offense and defense again this year, along with adapting to the new rules. “It’s natural to play a lot of defense. I honestly like to play defense. If the person who defends every day doesn’t play defense, it’s like playing a substitute. If you don’t play defense, things tend to go wrong,” he said, adding, “This year, Asub will play a lot of designated hitters, but I will do my best to play defense.” He promised a steady performance.
