KIA and Hanwha agreed to a two-for-one trade in November of last year, attracting the attention of the entire league. The interests of Hanwha, which needed an immediate boost on the pitching side, and KIA, which was eager to develop a big bat, were well aligned.
KIA, which wanted a right-handed bat, acquired Byun Woo-hyuk (23), while Hanwha, which wanted to thicken its mound depth, acquired right-handers Han Seung-hyuk (30) and Jang Ji-soo (23) to finalize the deal. As players with high expectations from their respective teams switched uniforms, attention was focused on the results.
It’s been said that trades take three years to pay off, which means it’s too early to say which team has succeeded and which has failed. However, it’s fair to say that the team was hoping for an immediate impact, and from that perspective, the trade hasn’t paid off yet. Both players on the opening day roster are not performing as well as expected.
Byun Woo-hyuk was highly touted for his performance in spring training and exhibition games. KIA needed a player who could compete with Hwang Dae-in at first base, or at least a right-handed bat that could synergize with him. Byun Woo-hyuk was indeed a force to be reckoned with. His pitches flew out of the park. His swing was unmistakable. At the beginning of the season, he showed both power and initiative, raising expectations regardless of the results.
However, his batting average has been slipping. As of May 5, he has four home runs in 34 games, and while he’s made some impact, he’s batting just .185. Aside from seeing the ball relatively well, he doesn’t strike out that much, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t impressive yet. While he’s consistently been on the first team roster, he’s far from a sure thing.
Han Seung-hyuk, who was highly touted for his immediacy and ability to pitch in both the starting and bullpen roles, has yet to deliver. In 10 games this season, he has pitched 10 innings with a 7.20 ERA. He’s also struggling to find a spot in the bullpen, which has become unusually thick.
In fact, I had high hopes for Han Seung-hyuk before the exhibition games because of his velocity. Given that his role this year was out of the bullpen and not the starting rotation, he did a decent job, throwing a hard fastball over 150 kilometers per hour. However, once the season started, he struggled with a high batting average (.317) and walk issues. He was sent down to the second team on April 28 and had to make some adjustments. He returned to the first team on June 2, but hasn’t had a chance to pitch yet.
Jang Ji-soo, a slightly more long-term card compared to Han Seung-hyuk, has made one first-team appearance this year and has a 4.02 ERA in 12 Futures League games. In any case, it’s a shame that the main cards of Byun Woo-hyuk and Han Seung-hyuk aren’t living up to the hype they received during the exhibition games 먹튀검증.
If they don’t perform well, they will naturally have fewer opportunities to prove themselves in the first team. KIA is expecting Kim Do-young to return from injury in early July. In order to use Park Chan-ho, Kim Do-young, and Ryu Ji-hyeok, who is currently performing well as the team’s leadoff hitter, they will have to move Ryu to first base. This could affect Byun Woo-hyuk’s playing time.
Han Seung-hyuk is already not a starter in the first team. The Hanwha bullpen is finding its footing, and Han Seung-hyuk’s move to the second team wasn’t a bad one. For now, he’ll have to take it slow in the closer’s role and show what he can do. It’s possible that the Hanwha-Kia trade could be a long shot.