Na Sung-beom should not be an IF... "I didn't show my skills," KIA's automatic power reinforcement in 2025?

Na Sung-beom should not be an IF... "I didn't show my skills," KIA's automatic power reinforcement in 2025?

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Ahead of the 2022 season, Kia eagerly opened its wallet to strengthen its central batting line, which had been a source of concern for the team. After predicting Na Sung-bum, 36, who was then eligible as a free agent, early on, the team poured a total of 15 billion won (approx.토토사이트

Na was an exemplary student in the league. He consistently displayed good performances. Soon after moving to Kia, he played in 144 games in 2022 with a batting average of 0.320, 21 homers and 97 RBIs, proving that Kia is not wrong in choosing him. According to a statistics website Statistics, Na's adjusted score productivity (wRC+) for 2022 was 161.8, which was more than 60 percent higher than the league average. It was literally a treat for this taste.

Although he is in his mid-30s, there is no clear indication that his performance has declined. However, his contribution to the team has declined since then due to injury. He played in only 58 games due to frequent injuries in the 2023 season. After failing to open the season due to a calf injury, which he expected would be light, he slid to third base at the end of the season and seriously injured his right hamstring, and ended up playing in only 58 games in 2023.

Na's bat was rusty enough to record a batting average of 0.365 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs in 58 games. However, Na failed in 2023 in that even a talented player needs to play in order to make sense. He prepared for 2024 by grinding his teeth, but injured his right hamstring and was absent for a long time this time as well. He had a batting average of 0.291, 21 home runs and 80 RBIs in 102 games, but had ups and downs. He performed well when he was good, but dug into the ground when he was not.

Of course, he was slow to adapt to the automatic ball determination system due to his injury, and it is true that he did not fit well with this zone in some cases. However, some analysts say that he may have been afraid of hamstring injury that came one after another. After all, if his lower body is not firmly supported, Na cannot completely hit. He could not run to his full capacity both in the baserunning and defense. He was instructed by the bench, but his frequent lower body injuries were taking away explosive power at the start.

Then, is Na Sung-bum's heyday over there? Within Kia, the prevailing opinion is that he is not. According to Na Sung-bum's tracking data, he is still showing strong power, still producing fast balls, and after resolving the launch angle issue to some extent at the end of the season, the production of home runs was smooth. At least not when his physical ability declines from power. After all, it is important to be completely free from hamstring problems. This is why offseason is approaching quite heavily.

KIA manager Lee Bum-ho gives a hint. Lee also had frequent hamstring injuries when he was an active player. As a result, the range of defense on the third base narrowed, and he couldn't run base as much as he wanted. Lee defended Na, saying that a hamstring injury would unknowingly disrupt the balance of his lower body. "I will struggle for about two years. After that, I got better," he said, looking forward to Na's 2025. If he plays extremely carefully in 2024, he will be able to perform as before in 2025.

Na was a typical weight training fighter. In fact, when asked to select the most fit player among the KBO League's training part coaches, he is almost certain to be selected. However, it is also necessary to reduce muscle mass a little as we get older. Na is also known to have sought advice from players or officials such as Choo Shin-soo to resolve the issue. "I once told him that he needs to pay more attention to flexibility when he gets older," Choo recalled.

Shim Jae-hak, Kia's general manager, also helped Lee Bum-ho's opinion that he bet on a "rebound" saying that Na Sung-bum is exercising more widely. Shim said, "I think Na Sung-bum has failed to show his skills. I think he will improve next year." He stressed that injuries have determined his skills, but not to the point where his skills have deteriorated.

Even if Na does not produce a monstrous performance in a short period of time in 2023, if he plays healthy and shows scoring productivity to the level of 2022, that in itself is a great plus for KIA's batting lineup. It is true that many players worked hard in Na's place when he was injured over the past two years, but in the end, he was not able to make a replica of Na. In other words, there was no player who could replace Na as just an IF. Na should not become an IF. He should go back to where he was. If he is a healthy Na Sung-beom, that in itself will be a huge help to the team. It is also an essential requirement for KIA to win its second consecutive Korean Series title.