Rookie League MVP...batting average 0.310, OPS 0.900
Choi, who entered the U.S. in 2010, won the Rookie League MVP award with a batting average of 0.360 with two homers and 30 RBIs while playing in both Rookie League and Single A High. He was the first Korean to win the award.
Catcher Eom Hyung-chan, who graduated from Gyeonggi High School, signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals and entered the U.S. last year. In 2023, the first year of his professional career, Eom played in a total of 15 games, failing to meet expectations by posting a batting average of 0.220 with one homer and five RBIs.
I didn't get many opportunities to play because my performance was not good. To make matters worse, my body hurt as I was hot.
After the season ended, Um asked his club to move to Australia. He wanted to have time to develop and improve himself by participating in the professional league in Australia instead of taking a sweet break in Korea. And such efforts have been rewarded with sweet performances this season.
Um Hyung-chan, who is currently playing in the rookie league, which is also held in Arizona this year, has posted a batting average of 0.310 with four homers, 16 RBIs and three steals in a total of 27 games as of Tuesday (Korea time). His on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) is also recording a whopping 0.900.
The Arizona Rookie League begins at the beginning of May and ends at the end of July every year. Since Eom has already reached the halfway point of the season, unless he suddenly falls into a slump, he is expected to be able to maintain his batting average of 0.300. This is all the more remarkable because he has a batting average of .300 and an OPS of .90 achieved by catchers who are heavily burdened with defense.
Um Hyung-chan cited "effort and experience" as the secret to his rapid growth compared to last year.
In an interview with MHN Sports, which he met at Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona last month, he said, "I prepared well for the season through physical training, and I learned from my experiences that I failed last year."
Larry Sutton (54), a former Korean professional baseball manager who returned to the field as the manager of the Kansas City rookie team, said in an interview with MHN Sports at the same place, "Eom Hyung-chan's success is his effort and confidence not afraid of failure."
"Players tend to lose confidence if they fail repeatedly. That makes me even have doubts about myself whether I can do it," Sutton continued. "However, Eom was different. He learned from his failures, and even though his failures may be repeated, he said, 'I can do it. I can go to the goals I have set,' and continued to work hard. That is why I was able to do well this season."
Sutton also said, "Eom Hyung-chan will become a Major League player. Please watch." He also showed his faith and encouragement in his players.
His fluent English skills contributed to his rapid growth in just one year after entering the U.S. Eom is now living alone without an interpreter. "I enjoyed studying English since I was young, and I have been studying English steadily since I signed a contract with Kansas City," he said.
When MHN Sports visited the field for coverage, Eom communicated with team officials in fluent English. He also comfortably exchanged jokes in English with Sutton. Having no difficulty in communicating in a new culture and environment is a positive factor in concentrating on baseball.토토사이트 순위
The rookie league will end on the 25th of next month local time. Attention is focusing on whether Eom Hyung-chan, who has grown rapidly in the second year of the professional season, will be able to achieve the end of the season.