The Lotte Giants, who risked life and death to advance to fall baseball for the first time in six years, made a strong decision to replace foreign batters. What kind of player will the new foreign hitter be?
On the 11th, Lotte announced that it had recruited Nico Gudrum (31), a new foreign hitter who can defend both inside and outside the field. Goodrum signed a contract with Lotte for an annual salary of 400,000 dollars (517 million won). If you enter Korea on the 15th and the administrative procedures are completed, you will be registered for the first team entry after the 21st.
Existing foreign hitter Jack Rex (30) joined the team last year and showed a good appearance with a batting average of 0.330 and 8 homers in 56 games. He showed good form at the beginning of this season as well, but had to go through rehabilitation due to a knee injury. Lotte coach Larry Sutton (53) revealed the reason for the replacement, saying, “As a foreign hitter, he has a role in a team, so 6 to 10 weeks (rehabilitation period) is not short.”
Manager Sutton introduced Gudrum, saying, “He is a player I have watched for close to a year at the club.” What kind of player is Gudrum, who should lead Lotte’s batting line in the second half, and why did Lotte choose him?
Who is Goodrum, shortstop GG final candidate-wearing glasses and transforming into an ‘on-base machine’
Goodrum, who is 192 cm tall and weighs 99 kg, was selected by Minnesota in the second round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. Debuting in the Major League (MLB) in 2017, he played in 402 major league games through Detroit and Houston, achieving a batting average of 0.226, 42 homers, 152 RBIs, 46 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.688. He had 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 2018, a career high in hitting.메이저토토사이트
His most notable feature is his utility ability. Goodrum started more than 10 games in all defensive positions, excluding pitcher and catcher, during his six major league seasons. He played the most as a shortstop, pitching 1200⅔ innings in 147 games (137 starts). In 2020, when he was a member of Detroit, he showed excellent defense enough to be named one of the three finalists for the American League Gold Glove.
On Boston’s Triple-A team, where he recently played, he appeared evenly at first base (30 games), second base (22 games), and third base (12 games). He was introduced as an infield and outfield utility, but it’s more appropriate to see him as an infield multiplayer. Manager Sutton also said, “I need an evaluation,” but also said, “I think it’s more suitable for the infield than the outfield.”
Hitting is normal. He’s a long-range hitter with 10 or more homers twice in the big leagues, but he’s had contact issues. Last year, his most recent major league run, he was somewhat sluggish with a batting average of 0.116 and an on-base percentage of 0.156 in 45 at-bats.
However, what is noteworthy about him is that his pioneering plan has risen by leaps and bounds this year. Koo Drum manages to hit .280 in Triple-A, but his on-base percentage is .448. He has more walks (66) than hits (61) in 286 plate appearances. According to Mass Live, an American media outlet, Gudrum had LASIK surgery a few years ago, but the ball was blurry, and he recently wore glasses. Coincidentally, since wearing the glasses, he is getting walks at a career-high level.
In that respect, his success in the KBO league can be carefully predicted. In the recent KBO league, foreign batters who become ‘snow baseball’ rather than traditional ‘Geopo’ such as Jose Pirella (Samsung) or Guillermo Heredia (SSG) tend to succeed.
How to use Lotte’s old drum “First baseman without Koh Seung-min, shortstop backup is possible”
Rex, whose expulsion has been confirmed, is an outfielder, but Goodrum is a player who was mainly used as an infielder. Lotte is also expected to use old drums mainly as a utility. In particular, he will be the first to fill the vacancy of first baseman Koh Seung-min (23), who recently injured his finger during a base run and has to go through a month-long rehabilitation process.
Coach Sutton explained, “Gudrum is a player who has excellent athleticism and can take charge of various fields,” and said, “It is possible to digest all positions in the infield.” He continued, “I can watch first baseman because Koh Seung-min is missing, and I can watch shortstop if there are situations like Noh Jin-hyeok (34) needs a break against left-handed pitchers throughout the season.” At the same time, he emphasized, “You can see both the corner infield and the corner outfield.”
First of all, the important thing is the current state of the player. Coach Sutton said, “First of all, I need time to watch how the players move when I arrive (in Korea),” and “I plan to watch while training during the All-Star break.”
Lotte expects Gudrum to show sufficient productivity at bat. Manager Sutton explained, “He’s not a player who hits 3-40 home runs, but he can hit enough home runs. He’ll hit at least average, and he’s a great contact player.” He also said, “He has good control over his own strike zone, and walks more bases than strikes out.”
‘Battle of the 5th round’ Lotte’s super strong, a big variable in the ranking fight in the second halfAs Lotte made a strong case of replacing foreign players, the ranking battle in the second half also became interesting. As of the end of the game on the 11th, the 3rd place Doosan Bears and 9th place Hanwha Eagles maintain a 6 game gap, so the battle for the middle ranks in the KBO League this year is fierce.
As the ranking battle became visible, they actively began to reorganize the team. After expelling Dylan Pyle and re-recruiting left-hander Brandon Waddell, who played last year, Doosan is currently on an eight-game winning streak. The KIA Tigers replaced all two foreign pitchers and acquired catcher Kim Tae-gun through a trade. Hanwha, Kiwoom Heroes, and KT Wiz also quickly changed foreign players.
With Lotte joining in, the plate for the fight in the 5th round in the second half was perfectly laid. Will Gudrum be able to help Lotte advance into fall baseball for the first time in six years since 2017?