Exploding LG hostess… KBO No. 3 Catcher Home Run King Jung Jo-Jun
It’s blowing up just fine.
The power of Park Dong-won (33), the main catcher of professional baseball LG, knocks the league. As of the 15th, he has played in 34 games and is recording a batting average of 0.257 (28 hits in 109 bats), 9 home runs and 24 RBIs. His batting average isn’t high, but his home run numbers stand out. He is leading the league in home runs, surpassing Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha, 8).
Originally, he is the league’s representative ‘offensive catcher’ who received high scores in his long hitting power. Having hit 14 homers since the 2015 season, when he was reborn as the main catcher for Nexen (now Kiwoom), he has consistently hit double-digit home runs except for the 2018 season. The season did not continue the record because it only digested 39 games due to the controversy over the sex scandal that was concluded with the final acquittal.
The reason why LG chose Park Dong-won in the last FA (free agent) market was also because of his proven power. It is hard to find a homemaker who can hit even long hits in the lower batting line with defensive power based on decent stealing and ball distribution. This is especially the case now that each team is struggling with the ‘catcher crisis’.
The home run production efficiency is also high. Despite using the spacious Jamsil Stadium as their home, they are averaging one home run per 14.7 at-bats this season. This is the best number in the league. Noh Si-hwan, second in home runs, needs 19.1 at-bats and Jose Rojas (Doosan), who is recording 6 homers, needs 19.2 at-bats. Since it is a catcher position with a high defensive burden, LG pays attention to the distribution of physical strength with the backup Kim Ki-yeon card, so the number of at-bats is relatively small, but the cannon fires regardless.
The reunion with LG coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop, who coached him during the Nexen days, also served as a catalyst. Director Yeom said, “When (Park) Dong-won opens the left wall quickly, a swing that hits the catcher often comes out like in the past. I am working with coaches to put things that are out of the basics like this into the basic framework,” he said, boasting, “If you have a form that does not collapse, you will become a hitter who hits 25 homers or more with a batting average of 28 to 9.”안전놀이터
Beliefs are becoming reality. If he keeps his pace, he could even hit the home run king. Mansu Lee (27 in 1983, 23 in 1984, 22 in 1985) and Kyung-Wan Park (40 in 2000, 34 in 2004) are the only players in KBO history to become the home run king. Following in the footsteps of the legends, Park Dong-won dreams of becoming the KBO’s 3rd ‘home run catcher’.