It also made Ryu Hyun-jin (Korean currency) smile. It was a message to Victor Reyes (Lotte), who has been a natural enemy since his Big League days, although he has a small sample.
The final rehearsal of Ryu Hyun-jin’s exhibition game at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 17th. Ryu Hyun-jin completed all preparations ahead of the opening game of the regular season by displaying good pitching of 76 pitches, six hits, no hits, four outs, and two runs in five innings with 14 runs supported by the batters.
Except for right fielder Lim Jong-chan’s error-prone defense in the third inning, it was a final rehearsal that had nothing to worry about. However, there was someone who made Ryu smile and be picky. It was Reyes who bullied him during his big league days.
As Ryu has been away from Korea for 12 years, most hitters who currently play in the league are unfamiliar with Ryu’s meetings. However, Reyes met Ryu relatively recently.
Ryu Hyun-jin started as Toronto’s starting pitcher and Reyes started as Detroit’s ninth batter right fielder in a game held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 22, 2021. Reyes, who appeared in the top of the third inning with two outs and no runners, hit a 76.4 mile curveball (about 123 kilometers) off Ryu Hyun-jin’s fourth pitch on an unfavorable count of one ball and two strikes. The hit was a 98-mile (about 158 kilometers) hit.
Ryu, who met for the second time as the leadoff hitter in the top of the sixth inning, had a 79.1 mile (127 km) changeup on a low course on two balls and two strikes to post a heavy hit. As a result of the showdown, Reyes secured a complete victory against Ryu by making two hits in two at-bats.
This meeting drew attention and the record could not be ignored. Reyes once again confirmed in Korea that Ryu Hyun-jin is a natural enemy.
In the first inning with one out and a runner on the first base, Reyes hit a fastball of 142 kilometers on the sixth pitch, a clean hit that landed on the right side of the left field. It was a regular hitting process. In the third inning with runners on the first and second bases with two outs, Reyes also hit a hit to the right field by hitting the sixth pitch with two outs and a strike. Reyes had four hits in his opponent team’s game.
Ryu Hyun-jin won the third at-bat in the fifth inning. Reyes grounded out to shortstop to end their showdown on the day.
In a game where most Lotte hitters couldn’t afford to stretch their wings due to Ryu’s aura, Reyesmann was not intimidated and displayed his swing. At his second at-bat in the third inning, he hit a big foul home run that passed by the left pole. “I remember Reyes. He was still playing hard,” Ryu said after the game.
Reyes, a switch-hitter outfielder who signed with Lotte for a total of 950,000 U.S. dollars (down payment of 100,000 dollars, annual salary of 100,000 dollars, and incentive of 250,000 dollars), has to make powerful hits in the batting lineup. Reyes has to hit a lot of home runs due to the nature of batters who lack big hitters.
However, he is not a typical big hitter. Lotte introduced Reyes as “more like a mid- to long-range hitter who makes a strong hit by Line Dry.” Reyes has recorded a batting average of 264 with 16 homers and 107 RBIs for the Detroit Tigers over the past five seasons from 2018. He played in the most 100 games in 2018 and played in 69 games in 2019, recording a batting average of .34 with three homers, 25 RBIs, and nine steals with an OPS of .767.
Last year, he recorded a batting average of 279 with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs in 128 games with Triple-A under the Chicago White Sox. He recorded the most home runs in his career in the Minor League this year. While earning 36 walks, he struck out 124 times.
If the Triple-A season is limited, he has a batting average of 298-230 (267 hits in 896 at-bats), 34 homers and 156 RBIs, 64 walks and 193 strikeouts in four seasons. They are not big hitters, but they were all indicators that left some room for improvement in his performance in the first place. “It is clear that he has a high percentage of strikeouts, but he is not a player with poor contact ability. He is more likely to hit sweet spots,” the club explained.
Based on the results of exhibition games so far, the club’s scouting report seems to be somewhat accurate. Currently, he has a batting average of .350 (seven hits in 20 times at bat) with two doubles and an OPS of .885, while playing eight exhibition games. He has no home run. On the 12th, he hit a big home run against the Doosan Bears in Sajik, but his record was lost due to no game due to rain. Most of all, he does not swing recklessly on the ball. While getting three walks, he only got three strikeouts.
Of course, as it is an exhibition game, there are few samples and it is difficult to confirm the original shape of the game. However, none of them failed. Coach Kim Tae-hyung also said while watching during the spring camp, “He is good at hitting the ball. He has good contact. I don’t like to swing around booms. I don’t like to be cautious, but when I saw the live batting or the match between blue and white teams, people didn’t follow me well with low balls.”
And now that he is playing in an exhibition game, Kim Tae-hyung was satisfied with his contact ability but did not make a hasty assessment. He said, “Contact is okay. I don’t know about teams that haven’t met, but teams that have met will understand Reyes’ strengths and weaknesses to some extent. We have to wait and see how Lee copes with his weaknesses during the season,” he said, withholding his firm evaluation and taking a cautious approach.
Still, Reyes is showing adaptability on his own. He struck out three fastballs against right-handed starter Um Sang-baek, whom he met for the first time at a match against KT in Suwon on Saturday. He missed and swung three fastballs in a row, while failing to get the right timing for the 143 km-143 km-146 km fastballs that entered the high strike zone. However, he felt differently at his second at bat in the third inning. He missed the timing little by little. Although he failed to completely catch the timing of the fastballs, he managed to keep cutting them. He continued to win the 11th game regardless of fastballs, cutters, and changeups.
In defense, he is more likely to play corner outfielder instead of center fielder. From the spring camp to the early days of exhibition games, manager Kim Tae-hyung said, “I will play center fielder if I am in good physical condition and I am okay with chasing after the ball in the outfield.” However, as he suffered a series of hamstring injuries on both sides from April to May 2022, he had to watch his leg condition. Kim also left open the possibility that his position could change depending on Reyes’ leg condition.
In recent exhibition games, he has been playing right fielder, not center fielder. In the match against Samsung in Daegu on Friday, Yoon Dong-hee, who was watching right fielder, stepped in center fielder and Reyes stepped in right fielder. Reyes played in the batter’s box as a substitute on Sunday, but Yoon Dong-hee started in center fielder in defense. Reyes has played right fielder in the match against Hanwha on June 16-17, and against KT on June 18. Reyes seems to be adjusting his position.
He has not clearly expressed his presence like other foreign hitters. The coach’s evaluation has not been made yet. Will Reyes be able to play the role of pillar and center of the batting lineup that Lotte expects. 메이저사이트