Wasn't the old frame a good frame? KT Wiz, which chose to re-sign two 'old frames' among the three foreign players, is struggling with the poor performance of these two in the first half.
KT Wiz coach Lee Kang-cheol informed MVP-winning foreign hitter Mel Rojas Jr. of his demotion to the second team ahead of the home game against the NC Dinos on the 21st at Suwon KT Wiz Park.
Rojas extended his contract with KT for an aggregates of $1.8 million (approximately 2.4 billion won) ahead of the 2025 season. The only foreign players who signed for $1.8 million this year are Rojas, Guillermo Heredia (SSG Landers), and James Neale (KIA Tigers). Thanks to his performance of a .329 batting average with 188 hits, 32 home runs, and 112 RBIs in 144 games in 2024, Rojas will spend his sixth season at KT with the best treatment.
Rojas, who finished the exhibition games with a .357 batting average and 1 home run, was silent with a .111 batting average throughout March after the start of the season. In April, he briefly regained his MVP image with a monthly batting average of .370, but after a .260 average in May, he struggled again with a .217 average in June. In the last 10 games, he batted .179 (7 hits in 39 at-bats), causing his season average to drop to .251, and ultimately, he was informed of his demotion to the second team for the first time after 92 days since the start of the season.
The most significant change for Rojas compared to last year is his clutch performance. While he occasionally hits singles, most of those hits do not come in scoring situations, and his plate discipline also seems to have declined. Rojas, whose on-base percentage used to be at least in the .400 range, has a season on-base percentage of .344, and his batting average with runners in scoring position is only .254. Limiting it to June, the number drops further to .211. This is why coach Lee Kang-cheol, who generally keeps foreign players in the first team, unusually sent Rojas down to the second team.
Rojas is heading to the unfamiliar Iksan next week to take time for adjustment. He plans to focus on skill correction and mental recovery while participating in the Futures League training and games. Coach Lee Kang-cheol has expressed his view that "Rojas is currently exhausted both physically and mentally. It's better for him to rest and come back. "
KT, which has boasted the best foreign player part in the league for the past few years, faced an unexpected variable this year with the poor performance of the veterans. Along with Rojas, 'championship ace' Cuevas, who was signed for an aggregates of $1.5 million (approximately 2 billion won), also performed poorly with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses and an ERA of 5.64 in 15 games. The only one who is helping the team is Emmanuel De Jesus, who became a KT man for $1 million (approximately 1.4 billion won), with 5 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 2.96 in 14 games.
If there is hope, KT won a comeback victory of 7-5 against NC the previous day without Rojas, scoring 7 runs in just the eighth inning. Cuevas also laid the foundation for a rebound with a solid performance of 7 innings, 4 hits allowed, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, and no runs earned against the Samsung Lions on the 14th. If Cuevas continues the momentum from the Samsung game against NC on the 22nd, and Rojas regains his MVP form after ten days, the atmosphere could definitely change.
[OSEN]