From the first day of camp, it was unusual. Do not hesitate to do diving catches. It looks like he will establish himself as an atmosphere maker in the squad.
This is the story of Jose Rojas (30), the new foreign hitter for the Doosan Bears.
After last season, Doosan acquired Rojas for a total of $1 million. Among the foreign players contracted by Doosan this year, he was the only foreign player to fill the upper limit. Pitchers Raul Alcantara (31) and Dylan Pyle (27) signed contracts for $900,000 and $650,000, respectively.
Rojas also has major league experience. He recorded a batting average of 0.188, 6 homers, and an OPS of 0.584 in 83 games in two seasons wearing the LA Angels uniform.
Doosan’s expectations are high as it has filled the maximum number of foreign players.
First of all, it seems that he is integrating well into the new team. I could see it from the first day of camp. During outfield defense training, he threw 안전놀이터 himself while making a diving catch. Doosan colleagues cheered and applauded his hustle play.
Kim Jae-hwan (35), who trained together in the outfield, introduced, “I have a kind personality, so when players play pranks on me to get along with them, I really accept them.”
Rojas, who we met after training on the 2nd, said, “It was my intention (laughs). My style is to always play hard. Playing my best is the most important thing to me.”
He also expressed his gratitude to his team members for their hospitality. He said, “It was nice that all the team members welcomed me. Especially, the veterans who train with me in the outfield are curious about me, and I am also curious about my seniors. I want to learn a lot from my seniors and learn a lot about their culture. do,” he said.
At the time of recruitment, Doosan introduced Lohas as ‘a resource that can expand its use by digesting second and third base, left and right corner outfield defense’.
What is the most comfortable position for him? Rojas explained, “I’m confident in the position that gets the most hits when I play. I’m comfortable with all positions, but right now I’m focusing on the right fielder.”
For LOHAS, adapting to the new environment must be the key. Fortunately, among my acquaintances, there was someone who knew Korean baseball and culture well.
The main characters are Juan Lagares (34), a foreign batter who played for SSG Landers last season, and Justin Boer, who played for LG in the 2021 season.
Rojas said, “I was close with Bohr and Lagares, so I heard a lot of good things about Korean baseball and culture from them. I heard that Lagares won the championship. It looked good,” he said. “My goal was to win the championship throughout my career. That’s it. That’s why I play baseball,” he said.