One of the biggest driving forces of the Doosan Bears, who have been on the Korean Series stage for 7 years, has been ‘defense’. He eased the burden on pitchers with stable defense both infield and outfield. In particular, due to the pitcher-friendly nature of Jamsil Baseball Stadium, the role of fielders has been highlighted more than any other stadium.

On the other hand, when the fielders are shaken, the pitchers are also mentally unstable. Last year, when they were not invited to fall baseball for the first time in eight years since 2014, Doosan’s defense was completely different from previous years. With 117 errors (6th place), the number rose significantly from the previous year (89 errors, 3rd place).

In particular, there was a crack in the infield, which showed no gaps in defense. According to Statties, a site specializing in KBO league records, the number of errors in the Doosan team’s infield was 77, a record tied for 6th place. Looking at the rankings, it was not a big drop, but there was no choice but to say that it was not like Doosan.

Power leaks, sluggish key players… Bad news overlapped

There were several reasons why the strong infield team lost their strength. First of all, compared to the mid-to-late 2010s, the power itself has weakened. Players who defended one axis of the infield, such as Choi Joo-hwan (SSG Landers) and Oh Jae-il (Samsung Lions), left the team one by one as free agents (FA).

Oh Jae-won, who played an active role as the starting second baseman, naturally gave up his position to his juniors as his position in the team gradually narrowed. He ended his active career at the end of last season, and Kang Seung-ho and Ahn Jae-seok had to fill the void left by Oh Jae-won.

The sluggishness of key players was also painful. Kang Seung-ho (1005⅔ innings) was the only infielder who played over 1000 innings, and Heo Gyeong-min (978⅔ innings) kept the hot corner. However, other than the two players, there was no player who could be said to have played a full season.

Shortstops in particular were a problem. Entering his late 30s, Kim Jae-ho’s skills declined. In addition, Ahn Jae-seok (577 innings, 15 mistakes), who suffered growing pains, failed to give trust. Other infield backup agents such as Park Gye-beom were not much different.

The benches were also stuffy. It was a difficult situation to seek change through the flexible selection of players. Min-jae Jeon, Yu-chan Lee, and Min-hyeok Kim, who showed potential at the end of the season, saw hope, but the team, which had fallen to 9th place, could no longer raise the rankings.

In the end, everyone needs to work hard to make up for the disappointment

. Doosan’s infield team, which did not receive external blood transfusion through free agents and trades, is preparing for a new season without any significant changes. Although coach Cho Seong-hwan, who coached Doosan beasts in the 2018-2020 season, has returned after a long absence, there is no big difference in the composition of players. 카지노

In the end, it is safe to say that everything depends on whether the existing players are active. Basically, third baseman Heo Gyeong-min, second baseman Kang Seung-ho, and first baseman Yang Seok-hwan are almost fixed. However, the competition for the starting shortstop is currently ongoing. While ‘veteran’ Kim Jae-ho was sweating for his resurrection, Ahn Jae-seok and Lee Yu-chan also challenged themselves.

Excluding a few key players, the reality of Doosan’s infield is that there are still many infielders who lack experience. This is the reason why the shoulders of players such as Heo Gyeong-min and Kim Jae-ho who have to hold the center are heavy. Manager Lee Seung-yeop can operate the infield more easily only when he shows a performance worthy of a starter.

Just because the player base has become thinner, we cannot rely solely on the growth of young players. In order to rise to a higher place than last year, remarkable achievements must be made. Can the “salty defense” of the Doosan infielders survive this year?