Hanwha’s batting lineup has changed as it looks to break into the mid-table.
Hanwha rookie Moon Hyun-bin (19) has been off to an uncharacteristic start. Moon started at first base (second base) for three consecutive days in a three-game series against NC in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Changwon NC Park on April 16-18. Recently recognized as Hanwha’s top hitter, he added four hits in the three-game series. On the 17th, he spearheaded the offense with a multi-hit performance. In the seven games he started in between the last eight days and the 18th, he batted .310 (9-for-29) with eight runs scored. The performance also raised his season batting average to .254, his best since July. Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho praised him for “adapting well to the first and second base positions.”
Moon Hyun-bin is a pure high school rookie. After graduating from Bukil High School, he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the second round of last year’s rookie draft. He hasn’t been sent down to the second team once this year. He filled the regular season batting order alongside Lotte’s Kim Min-seok. Moon Hyun-bin received a tryout at the final camp in November last year and was a surprise selection along with pitcher Kim Seo-hyun, the No. 1 overall pick, for the first team spring training camp in Arizona. He was considered a sparkplug in the first team camp, and the senior pitchers praised him as “the real deal” at the time.
Moon Hyun-bin is small at 174 centimeters and 82 kilograms, but he hit .445 in the high school league last year with a high sensitivity. This year, he was able to hit the ball straight at the senior pitchers in the first team. His versatility on defense is also a plus. Moon can play center field, third base, second base, and shortstop. Recently, he has been used at second base to take advantage of the absence of Jeong Eun-won, the main second baseman. Her versatility helps the team’s offense. She also has fast feet.
In fact, it’s been compared to “picking stars in the sky” for a rookie to make it into the starting lineup that year. Commentator Ahn Chi-yong said, “It’s not easy for a high school rookie to stay in the first team. It means that his skills are outstanding. It is possible because of his versatility in ball, defense, and running.”
Another standout is foreign-born Nick Williams, 29, who has been batting second since the NC. Until early August, Williams was criticized for his poor performance. After making his debut on June 27 against KT in Daejeon as a replacement foreign player for Brian O’Grady, who was ejected for poor performance, Williams went 3-for-11 with one home run and three RBIs in his first three games. However, he struggled in July, batting .175 (11-for-63) in 15 games, and his bat never really clicked in August. On the ninth of the month, his average dropped to .179.
But the bat has returned. In the three-game series, Williams pounded out six hits, driving in six runs and scoring three times. Three of those six hits were for extra bases (two doubles and a home run). On the 15th, he tasted a home run for the first time in 11 days, dating back to April 4 against the Gwangju Kia.
The reason for Williams’ improvement was a change in his batting form. Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said, “My timing was still late, so I shortened my take-back time a little bit (pulling the bat back slightly to gather power before swinging). If my take-back time was about a second before, it’s now about half a second. I think the timing is right now.”안전놀이터
After 17 days, Hanwha is in eighth place with 41 wins, six draws and 53 losses. However, they are six games behind fifth-place KIA (47 wins, 2 draws, 47 losses). With 44 games remaining, there is still hope. Moon Hyun-bin, who has developed into a Rookie of the Year candidate, and Williams, who has made a turnaround, are the lifeblood of Hanwha’s rebound.