Han Dong-hee, who is playing at Sangmu, has finally climbed to first place in batting in the Futures League with his sharp hitting. He has swept the first place in seven batting institutional sectors including home runs, batting average, RBIs, hits, runs, slugging percentage, and OPS.
On the 8th, Han Dong-hee started as the third baseman in the game against the Samsung Lions in the 2025 Futures League held at Gyeongsan Stadium.
He was retired on a foul fly out to the first baseman after two outs in the first inning. In the third inning, after one out, he reached base with a hit to the right center. He was forced out at second base on a ground ball by the following batter, Lee Jae-won.
In the fifth inning, with a 4-2 lead and two outs, Han Dong-hee hit a single to center field on a full count, creating a chance with runners on first and second. Lee Jae-won reached base on a walk, loading the bases, but Jeon Ui-san was retired on a ground ball out to the second baseman, ending the inning. In the seventh inning, after two outs with a 4-3 lead, he faced left-handed pitcher Choi Seong-hoon and struck out with a swing and miss.
Han Dong-hee recorded two hits in four at-bats. After hitting three hits on both the 6th and 7th, Han Dong-hee raised his season batting average from .429 to .430 (200 at-bats, 86 hits). He has become the batting leader, surpassing his teammate Ryu Hyun-jin, who displayed a godlike batting average of .500 until the end of April. Ryu Hyun-jin was silent on this day, going 0-for-4 with one walk, reducing his batting average from .433 to .424.
Han Dong-hee is literally dominating the Futures League. In 48 games, he has recorded a batting average of .430, 19 home runs, 63 RBIs, 61 runs, 30 walks, 19 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of .504, a slugging percentage of .786, and an OPS of 1.290. He ranks first in seven categories: batting average, home runs, hits, RBIs, runs, slugging percentage, and OPS. Han Dong-hee was a promising power hitter. He had power in long hits such as home runs, but his contact ability has also improved.
Han Dong-hee, who joined Lotte as the first pick in the 2018 rookie draft, was highly expected to succeed Lee Dae-ho. He received a chance as the starting third baseman in 2020 and recorded a batting average of .278 with 17 home runs and an OPS of .797 in 135 games. In 2021, he recorded a batting average of .267 with 17 home runs and an OPS of .807 in 129 games, and in 2022, he recorded a batting average of .370 with 14 home runs and an OPS of .817 in 129 games.
However, in 2023, he struggled to show growth, recording a batting average of .223 with 5 home runs and an OPS of .583 in 108 games. Han Dong-hee, who entered Sangmu in June of last year, will be discharged in December. His performance in the 2026 season is anticipated.
Meanwhile, Sangmu seized a chance with runners on first and second with a walk from Lee Jae-won and a hit from Jeon Ui-san in the second inning, scoring first on a timely hit by Yoon Jun-ho to left center. A hit by Park Chan-hyuk continued the chance for bases loaded, and Kim Jae-sang hit a timely hit to left center, extending the lead to 3-0. A balk by Samsung starter Cheon Gyeom allowed the runner on third base to score, making it 4-0. Sangmu held off Samsung's pursuit, winning 4-3.
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