Kim Ha-sung’s San Diego Padres is a team that is challenging for first place in the National League West this season.
While the LA Dodgers, the leader of the same district, stopped investing for a while, San Diego recruited Xander Bogarts to strengthen their batting line. After Fernando Tatis is suspended from participation due to the discovery of prohibited substances, the other line becomes stronger. The inside and outside defense is solid.
In addition, it would be perfect if Juan Soto, who was recruited through a blockbuster trade last year, is revived. And Soto’s rebound is not a vague expectation, but a grounded expectation. The Athletic of the United States on the 6th (Korean time) picked Soto as one of the four players who will make a remarkable rebound this year. It is expected that the change in the batting method seen in the second half will lead to a rebound this year.
Soto had a career batting average of 0.287 and an OPS of 0.950 from his 2018 debut until last year. However, the 52 games since moving to San Diego remain a stain on Soto’s career. His batting average was 0.236 and OPS was only 0.778. what happened all of a sudden? On what grounds did The Athletic expect Soto to토토사이트 resurrect?
“Soto had fewer walks, more strikeouts, less slugging and less speed last year,” The Athletic said. I hurt my calf while playing fence in July,” he explained.
First of all, the hitting method is slightly different. Last year, Soto reacted passively to balls entering the strike zone. However, he regained his aggression towards the end of the season.
Also, in the past, home runs were produced by pushing, but after the standard of the official ball was changed last year, the hitting power of the pushed ball decreased. Soto compensated for this by increasing the number of balls he pulled. In his last 12 games, he survived with a batting average of .244 and an OPS of .803.
“The best way for Soto to get back to Hall of Fame level is to hit the ball hard and get the ball rolling. He needs to get his feet back,” The Athletic wrote. Meanwhile, along with Soto, the media picked Jonathan India (Cincinnati), Ketel Marte (Arizona), and Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta) as candidates for this year’s rebound.