Shin Min-jae (27), who ran as a professional runner, has emerged as a candidate for LG’s new starting second baseman. He is poised to seize the best opportunity in his baseball career.스포츠토토

Shin Min-jae is starting 9 of the last 11 games as a second baseman, from the match against KIA in Gwangju on the 28th of last month to the match against Hanwha in Daejeon on the 11th. Seo Geon-chang, who started as the starting second baseman, went down to the 2nd team in the middle of last month after poor hitting, and Kim Min-sung and Shin Min-jae shared the position.

LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “We are testing whether to use Shin Min-jae as the starting second baseman. He’s not a bad contact. He’s getting better. He had a lot of batting practice and was a tricky contact to play against. He doesn’t strike out easily. He expected that if he hits this much in the 9th batting order (as a starter), he can try it out.”

Shin Min-jae, who had a career batting average of 2.26 li (30 hits in 133 at-bats) in 4 seasons with the 1st team until last year, improved his accuracy remarkably with a batting average of 3.4 8 li (16 hits in 46 at-bats) in 45 games this season. Although the sample is not large, he has the highest batting average among 134 batters with 50 or more at bats. He also struck out only four in 52 at bats. He picked up four walks and also had an on-base percentage of .40.

The second base defense is also getting better as the game goes on. On the 9th, against Hanwha, after saving Noh Si-hwan’s heavy hitting ball in the 7th inning, 1 company 1 base, he also caught a second base force out with an accurate running throw in a situation where the center of gravity fell back.

Coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop said, “The defense is still rough, but if we keep practicing and playing, it will be fine.” Min-seong Kim also needs to be managed because he has to keep using it in several places,” he explained why he decided to test Min-jae Shin as the main second baseman.

Shin Min-jae, a right-handed and left-handed infielder from Incheon High School, joined Doosan as a training player in 2015 without being nominated in the rookie draft. In Doosan, he played 95 games in the Futures League for two years from 2015 to 2016, but there was no first-team opportunity. In November 2017, when he was a public service agent, he was selected by LG in the 3rd round of the KBO 2nd draft and moved the team.

Shin Min-jae, who made his first-team debut at LG in 2019 after being discharged, started only 21 out of 195 games until last year. He is mainly put in as an agent specializing in large runners, and as a utility player who moves between 6 positions in the infield and outfield, excluding first base, he has thoroughly played only a supporting role.

However, as a runner-up this year, he has already succeeded in stealing 14 bases, a personal record, and caught the attention of manager Yeom Gyeong-yeop, and is poised to pass the starting test as well. Against Hanwha on the 11th, when he was deployed as the first two batters of the season, he played 3 on-base games with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs in 5 at-bats, and succeeded in stealing 2 bases, paving the way for LG to win 13-7.

If Shin Min-jae succeeds in securing the spot as the starting second baseman, LG will have to find a new professional runner. Manager Yeom said, “If you go to the postseason, you must have one fast runner. In the postseason, a player who will play that role is absolutely necessary,” he said, hinting at finding an agent for a major runner through a future trade.

What remains to be seen in the second consecutive MVP victory is for Kiwoom hitters to regain their sense of hitting. It is impossible to recapture the title with the support of teammates for RBI and scoring. Lee Jung-hoo declared that he had already completely found his senses. Immediately after the victory against SSG on the 4th, he said, “I was always in good condition, but the psychological shrinkage was great. But now, when I see the ball, the bat goes out. He said, “Now (the feeling of hitting) seems to have completely returned. It’s not just a record. From the NC game in May, there were balls that could be accepted even if they were out. Now I can feel it.”