Should they call up the 19-year-old rookie again?

The KIA Tigers do not have the starting outfielders who led last year's championship currently on the first-team roster. Socrates Brito was not re-signed, and Na Sung-bum is out due to injury. Choi Won-jun has been demoted to the second team due to poor performance. This year's opening game saw Na Sung-bum, Choi Won-jun, and Lee Woo-sung, who returned after a stint at first base, line up together as outfield starters.

First of all, Socrates Brito failed to re-sign after finishing the season. He posted an impressive batting average of .301 with 26 home runs, 97 RBIs, 92 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of .875. He also contributed with a batting average of .300, 5 RBIs, and 5 runs scored in the Korean Series, playing a crucial role in the championship. Over three years, he recorded a batting average of .320, 63 home runs, 270 RBIs, 2,676 runs scored, 40 stolen bases, and an OPS of .843.

Nevertheless, the reason the club did not re-sign him was to find a dynamic right-handed hitter with home run power. They recruited infielder Patrick Wisdom instead. He boasts a total of 88 home runs in Major League Baseball. Wisdom has a current batting average of .249 with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs, and an OPS of .898. While he has hit some impressive home runs, he has recently struggled under tight scrutiny.

Na Sung-bum started the season injury-free for the first time in three years but struggled with his batting. He was ultimately diagnosed with a calf muscle injury and was placed on the injured list on April 27. It is uncertain when he will return. He posted a poor performance with a batting average of .226, 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, and an OPS of .754. He primarily batted fifth but did not show much intimidation.

Choi Won-jun is also failing to show his free agent potential. He has appeared in 32 games and had 114 plate appearances, but only managed a batting average of .212 with 2 home runs, 9 RBIs, 11 runs scored, 5 stolen bases, and an OPS of .558. His responsiveness at the plate has greatly diminished, and he has not come close to matching last year's performance of .292 with 9 home runs, 56 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and an OPS of .791. He was removed from the roster on the 5th for readjustment.

Furthermore, Lee Chang-jin, who played a significant role as a backup, is currently sidelined for an extended period due to a thigh injury sustained in the Okinawa spring camp. He returned to action in early April and boasted 6 hits in 12 at-bats, but another issue has arisen, leaving him inactive. Last season, he finished with a batting average of .262, but showed his presence with an on-base percentage of .401. He also contributed to scoring in the Korean Series with 3 hits and 2 walks in 7 at-bats.

Kim Ho-ryeong, noted for his defensive prowess, has had a lackluster performance this year. He started the season at the second team. He was called up on April 27 after notable hitting in the Futures League, but on the 5th, he received another notice to return to the second team alongside Choi Won-jun. Rookie Park Jae-hyun was also on the first team since the beginning of the season, but there was a failure to utilize him effectively, leading to his demotion to the second team on April 27. Among the first-team players, Lee Woo-sung, Oh Sun-woo, Park Jung-woo, Kim Seok-hwan, Jeong Hae-won, and Choi Hyung-woo are able to cover the outfield.

The only center fielder available was Park Jung-woo. Unfortunately, on the 11th, Park Jung-woo reported side pain during the second game of the doubleheader against the SSG Landers and had to leave. In a hurry, they moved left fielder Lee Woo-sung to center field, but he failed to prevent the lead-off triple by Chae Hyun-woo in the sixth inning. That was a hit that a speedy center fielder could have handled. Ultimately, the bullpen was shaken, allowing a 5-run big inning, and they lost both games of the doubleheader.

If Park Jung-woo is removed from the roster, it means that all outfielders from last year's championship team will be absent. Choi Won-jun and Kim Ho-ryeong will be eligible to return to the first team on the 15th. Ultimately, they will either continue to use Lee Woo-sung as the center fielder or call up rookie Park Jae-hyun. Patrick Wisdom can also be utilized as an outfielder, but securing first base defense is also important, making it a difficult choice. The disappearance of the championship outfield seems to reflect KIA's current situation.

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