Kwon Kwang-min is active with a batting average of .433 (13 hits in 30 at-bats) with four home runs, nine RBIs, three walks, eight strikeouts and an on-base percentage of .485 with a .933 OPS 1.418 in 12 games since the first-team call-up on the 3rd. It is a small sample, but he is leading the Hanwha lineup, which has lost momentum due to tremendous driving.
Kwon Kwang-min, who reported his first hit of the season with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning against Jamsil LG on the 7th, also hit a superior solo shot against Daejeon Samsung on the 11th. Both home runs did not receive much attention as they came out in a situation where the score was wide, but they did not miss a limited opportunity.
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon said of Kwon Kwang-min on the 12th, “I haven’t played a few at-bats yet, but I’m getting a good impression. I have a good batting ability. I went out short in the back and hit two home runs, but this is not something to be simple about. You have something. I’m watching with interest.”
In the match against Lotte in Sajik on the 14th, Kwon Kwang-min, who made his first start of the season as the ninth batter, played 3 hits in 4 at-bats, including 2 doubles. The next day, in the match against Lotte, Kwon Kwang-min, who continued his momentum with 3 hits, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats, went on to multi-base in the match against Changwon NC on the 17th, picking up 2 walks even though he had no hits in 3 at-bats. The match against NC on the 19th led Hanwha to a 7-6 victory by hitting hard with 3 hits and 4 RBIs in 5 at-bats, including home runs.
In fact, not many people expected Kwon to perform as well as before when he was called up to the top-tier team. Kwon, who was excluded from the top-tier spring camp this year, stayed in the second-tier team throughout the season. His performance was not noticeable, as he had a batting average of .202 (for 99), three homers and 16 RBIs in 43 games in the Futures League.
However, he joined the team without being registered in the entry list ahead of the match against Cheongju NC Dinosaurs on June 20. Ahead of the expanded entry list in September, coach Kim Kyung-moon called five players from the second tier team to train in advance, and one of them was Kwon Kwang-min. His performance was not that high enough to be called to the first tier team, but Kim saw something that did not appear in the record.
“Kwon Kwang-min is an outfielder, but he can also be a first baseman. His body is quite chubby, but running on base is also good,” Kim said. “He has a good sense of baseball. Why would he have scouted him from the U.S.?” “I was in the second division due to lack of something, but I think I found a weakness by myself.”
As Coach Kim said, Kwon was scouted by the Chicago Cubs after being spotlighted as a five-tool player during his time at Jangchung High School. He signed a down payment of 1.2 million U.S. dollars in August 2015. After Choo, who signed a 1.37 million-dollar contract with the Seattle Mariners in 2001, he was recognized as the second highest among Korean fielders. Despite his tall physique measuring 189 centimeters and weighing 90 kilograms, he has fast feet, strong shoulders and mid- to long-distance hitting.
However, he was released after experiencing single A for three years in the U.S. between 2016 and 2018. Kwon Kwang-min, who returned to Korea and served in the military as an active member, was selected by Hanwha as the 41st overall pick in the second round and fifth round in the 2022 rookie draft after serving as scorebon hyenas for the independent baseball team in 2021. He was expected to play all out immediately, but he only posted a batting average of 225 (six hits in 71 at-bats) and eight RBIs in 32 games for the first year in 2022. He also had a batting average of 1551 in 66 games (11 hits in 73 times at bat) and two homers and nine RBIs last year, thus suppressing his disappointment.
I was in the second division all season this year, but I didn’t give up. “I prepared with the thought that only one chance should come. I had my time anyway, so I was just waiting for that time. It was hard, but I couldn’t let go of my baseball,” Kwon said. “I prepared hard for everything, but focused most on hitting. I tried to relax in my mental direction and did a lot of weightlifting. I also talked a lot with Jeong Kyung-bae, the hitting coach of the Futures, to change my mind. I think what I have prepared steadily so far is that I come out with good results at bat without realizing it. Another difference is that my impatience has disappeared at bat.” 안전놀이터
Hanwha, which slowed down to sixth place with six wins and nine losses in September, has almost no chance to advance to the fifth place. However, it was meaningful enough in that it rediscovered a left-handed slugger named Kwon Kwang-min. With seven more games to go this season, there is an outfield card that one can look forward to next year.