They have the same batting average, but different nutritional values. Every day he hits a home run, KIA wins. They’ve already won four games. The star of the show is Byun Woo-hyuk (23), a slugger acquired in a trade from Hanwha.
Byun Woo-hyuk hit a solo home run in the fifth inning against Daejeon Hanwha on April 24 to break the 0-0 tie. He pulled a 136-kilometer fastball in the middle of a four-pitch at-bat from Hanwha starter Jang Min-jae, who had been dominant until last year, over the left field fence. It traveled 125 meters and was his fourth home run of the season. It was a shot that set the stage for KIA’s 4-2 victory.
Kia has won all four games in which Byun has homered this year. Three of his four homers have come in tiebreaking situations, and the other two have been nutritious cannons with a one-run lead.
Against Munhak SSG on March 2, he hit his first career home run in the second inning off Kirk McCarty to give the team its first win of the season. Against Samsung Electronics in Gwangju on May 22, he took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and blasted a grand slam off Won Tae-in to lead the team to a 6-2 victory.
Fast-forward to May, and against SSG in Gwangju on May 9, he hit a leadoff home run off Kim Kwang-hyun in the fourth inning to give the team a 3-0 victory. The home run was also the game-winner. Until the 24th against Hanwha, Byun Woo-hyuk has a pleasant jinx that if he hits a home run, KIA wins.
“Woo-hyuk hit four home runs and we won that game,” said Kia head coach Kim Jong-guk. There were leadoff homers, wedge homers, and they all came at key moments. He hit against McCarty, Kim Kwang-hyun, Won Tae-in, and Jang Min-jae, so the purity of his home runs is high.”
Byun Woo-hyuk, who was recognized as a big-hitting prospect in 2018 when he hit a season-high eight home runs as a junior at Cheonan North High School after using a high school baseball wooden bat, joined the Hanwha team in the 2019 first round. Despite completing his military service early with the Commerce, he didn’t get much of a chance with Hanwha due to overlapping players at the first and third base positions, including Noh Si-hwan, Kim In-hwan, and Jung Min-kyu. Last year, a combination of back injuries limited him to just 2-for-6 with two doubles (16 in 61 at-bats), three home runs, eight RBIs and a .721 OPS in 21 games with the first team.
He was traded from Hanwha to KIA after the season. In exchange for two pitchers, Han Seung-hyuk and Jang Ji-soo, KIA received top prospect Byun Woo-hyuk. Woo-hyuk Byun quickly picked up the pace in spring training and made the opening day roster and has been playing with the first team ever since. He has played first base, third base, designated hitter, and pinch-hitter, increasing his playing time from his Hanwha days.
He has started only 20 of the team’s 39 games, so he is not a full-time starter. He also has a very low batting average, batting just 1-for-83 (15 RBI) in 29 games this season, including nine starts. However, he is making a strong impact with his long batting average.먹튀검증
Manager Kim Jong-kook said, “What I want from Woo Hyuk-i right now is not his batting average. I traded him for his long ball. He won four games with four home runs, so he’s doing a great job.” “It’s still his first year full-time, and as he continues to gain experience, his batting average and on-base percentage will increase.”
KIA ranks eighth in both team home runs (22) and on-base percentage (.349) this year, so the team needs a hitter who can go the distance. Byun’s four home runs are tied for first on the team with Choi Hyung-woo among KIA’s domestic hitters outside of foreigner Socrates Brito (six).
