Kia made a trade by giving up its main infielders last year due to concerns over its catcher. Meanwhile, the number of backup catchers who returned from military service has gradually grown, and with Kia's talent in full bloom this season, it has played in 18 of the 25 games it played (as of Tuesday) making an active contribution in ball and number. Kia has now another catcher who it can trust until the ninth inning. This is the case for catcher Han Jun-su (25).

Han Jun-su has a batting average of 0.357 (15 hits in 42 times at bat), an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.864, and a scoring batting average of 0.273, showing off his hot offense unlike a catcher.

"He is a good pitcher lead and smart. He cares about not only offense but also defense and focuses on the batter's box," Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho said of Han Jun-su. "(Han) Jun-su was agonizing over the game, not the end," Lee added. "(He) thought that he would play as a starting member, so when he played as a catcher, he thought about the direction of how his team could win."

"It's right to think about how to win," Han Jun-su said. "Especially as the game goes into the second half of the game, there is a crisis, and I think about how to play the game every time." "I think about it with the power analysis team before the game, but I have to solve it by myself during the game. So in his head alone, hitter K throws the ball outward, but if he gets a reaction, he throws it again," he added.

Even after the game, Han does not fall asleep. "I lie in bed watching TV highlights again and agonizing over how to play the game. I watch analysis maps and broadcasts," he said. However, this effort did not start overnight. "I have been doing this for a long time," Han said. As the catcher Han Jun-su's talent has been in full bloom recently, his efforts have paid off.

He is now growing from a high-profile prospect who joined KIA with the first nomination in 2018 to a main catcher. The head coach has also grown into a "trust man" to the point where Han Jun-su will extend the 10th inning, which will go 2-2 against Kiwoom in Gocheok on the 23rd. The birth of a new home master who will take charge of KIA's next 10 years is just around the corner.

BY: 토토사이트