ethernetacademy.netThis season, LG is leading the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) in batting average, ERA, and stolen bases, and is poised to win its first championship in 29 years.
At the center of the ‘twin legion’ new wind is the strongest table setter Hong Chang-ki (30). She leads the team in contributions, outperforming center hitters and aces.
Through 21 days of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, Hong leads the team in two hitting categories. He leads in runs scored (83) and slugging percentage (4-for-4). He also ranks fourth in batting average (3.32 ppg) and third in hits (127), the highest among LG players.
According to baseball statistics site Statiz, Hong ranks seventh overall in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) this year at 4.49. As a hitter, he ranks fifth. Both are LG’s highest rankings.
Hong had his best year in 2021. He played in all 144 games, batting .328 (4th), scoring 103 runs (2nd), and driving in 172 runs (5th).
He also won his first individual title since joining the organization in 2016. Hong ranked first in slugging percentage in 2021 with a 4.056 OPS. She also shared the top spot with Chung Seong-guan, who drew 109 walks and 16 batted balls (second).
However, Hong faltered last year. In 118 games, he batted just 2-for-8 with 76 runs scored and 125 hits. His OPS dropped to 3.9 as he played fewer games.
However, Hong has bounced back this year. The team is in first place, seven games ahead of second-place KT.
This year, Hong could even win his first career top scorer title. In 2021, Hong finished second in runs scored, four behind Koo Ja-rook (Samsung). As a table-setter, on-base percentage and runs scored are important metrics. However, Hong had to settle for the top spot in slugging percentage.
This year, however, she has an advantage in the scoring race. Hong has played nine fewer games than the runner-up, Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom). With 40 games remaining for LG and 31 for Kiwoom, Hong’s chances of becoming the top scorer are relatively high. Choi Jung (SSG), who is second in runs scored, has 72.
Hong is batting 2-for-7 in his last 10 games. However, he still has a slugging percentage of over 4% and has scored 11 runs. Going back to August, he’s batting 3 for 32 with 8 RBI and 19 runs scored in 16 games.먹튀검증
LG is looking to win its first Korean Series title in 29 years, and with the twins’ dreams ripe for the taking, Hong Chang-ki is also increasing his chances of winning a multi-crown.