There was a reason why Hanwha paid a lot of money to catch catcher Choi Jae-hoon (34). Choi Jae-hoon was reborn as a model student in the second season of a five-year, 5.4 billion won FA contract. Despite the catcher’s position, he is ranked fourth in the overall league with an on-base percentage and is also in second place with a steal blocking percentage.
Choi Jae-hoon signed an FA contract with Hanwha in November 2021. On the second day of the FA’s opening, Hanwha beat Choi Jae-hoon with a quick bet. Some evaluated ‘overpay’, but it was a considerable burden for Choi Jae-hoon. Last year, the first year of the FA contract, he batted .223 with five home runs and 30 RBIs in 114 games.It fell short of expectations at 641.
Choi Jae-hoon, whom I met at the Arizona Spring Camp in February, said, “I had a good FA contract, so I thought I should do really well from the first year. I felt like an arrow was coming to me as the team didn’t work out in the beginning. I only focused on mine and ran forward. “I think I made a mistake,” he said, vowing to rebound this season.
The commitment is coming out as a result. Until the 5th, he batted .257 (46 hits in 179 at-bats) in 64 games of the season with 23 RBIs 꽁머니 OPS.At 699, the blow is not bad. In particular, the on-base percentage is in the 40% range (.403) with 32 walks and 13 balls that fit the body. On the 5th, he filled the regulation against Lotte in Daejeon and moved up to fourth place in the league. LG’s Hong Chang-ki (.447), Doosan’s Yang Eui-ji (.428), and LG’s Moon Sung-joo (.405) rank first in the Hanwha team.
Choi Jae-hoon said, “The most important thing is to bully the pitcher at-bat.” “My goal is to get on base, although I was out against Na Kyun-an (Lotte) in my second at-bat today (5th), but I thought I won by making him throw a lot of balls,” he said. Choi Jae-hoon, who scored the first run with a timely RBI in the left-center after a seven-ball match in his first at-bat in the second inning, was grounded out to third base in the fourth inning, but he made four consecutive foul cuts and bothered Na Kyun-an with a 10-ball game. The number of pitches per at-bat this season is 4.2, ranking third among 53 at-bats.
The decisive shot came in the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth inning, Kang Jae-min hit a two-run home run by Jack Rex to tie the game 3-3, and the flow of the game seemed to be moving toward Lotte. However, after two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Nick Williams and Kwon Kwang-min’s consecutive hits and steals led to two outs, second and third base chances came in front of Choi Jae-hoon. Choi Jae-hoon hit the outer curve of Lotte’s must-win man Choi Joon-yong’s fifth pitch and decorated it with a timely two-run hit. The final hit that led to a 5-3 Hanwha victory.
Choi Jae-hoon said, “The first base was empty, but it was not a situation where the opposing team would miss me. (Chae) I focused on skipping players with the same last name, thinking that I would win. “As soon as the fastball became a ball (fourth pitch), I thought a breaking ball would come, but the target hit well,” he looked back. Veteran-like goalkeeper hit the mark in the match. Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho also praised, “I want to praise Choi Jae-hoon, who hit the final hit by showing his concentration at a time when the atmosphere could subside.”
Choi Jae-hoon has a great influence not only in batting but also in pitching leads and defense. Choi Jae-hoon, who contributed to raising Hanwha’s team’s ERA to fourth place (3.92), said, “Our pitchers are really good. Rather than striking out, they say to trust the defenders behind them and play aggressively. They say let’s finish it in three holes. Even if he got a hit from the first pitch, he threw one ball. He said, “The batter hits quickly and leads to results,” adding, “The starters threw well, so bullpen pitchers also gained strength.” “All pitchers throw well, so I gain strength as a catcher,” he thanked.
The steal blocking rate (37.0%) is also the second highest after Yang Eui-ji (60.9%) among 12 catchers who have played more than 200 innings. Choi Jae-hoon laughed, saying, “It was higher, but it fell,” and added, “I will think of catching Will, the No. 1 player in the swing.” There will be times when the will type will also fall. I’ll catch up at that moment. “If you do it with that mind, there will be good results,” he boldly challenged. This means that he will not be satisfied with his current performance.
Not only individuals but also teams are looking higher. The gap with NC and Lotte, which are tied for fourth place, has also narrowed to three games. Choi Jae-hoon said, “Young players are doing so well.” During the eight-game winning streak, pitchers and fielders trusted each other and continued to win. If you win one game and one game in the future, you can go up higher and play fall baseball. He won Doosan twice and played baseball once in the fall of 2018 in Hanwha. I know what that feeling is. “If young players play until autumn baseball, they will grow further,” he expected.