“We need to look at the advantages first.”
Lotte actively jumped into the FA market after last season. The most notable signing was, of course, a 4-year, 8 billion won contract with catcher Yoo Gang-nam (31). Lotte made a “big bet” on Yoo Kang-nam to solve the problem of catcher, which had been pointed out as a weakness.
Yoo Kang-nam is definitely a catcher 메이저사이트with many strengths. He not only has the league’s top framing ability, but also has a knack for working with pitchers enough to rank first in the team’s earned run average and catcher’s earned run average for two consecutive years during his LG days. However, his ability to stop stealing is still questioned. His stealing rate last year was 17.3%, stopping 19 bases while allowing 91 stolen bases.
What kind of perspective does Lotte manager Larry Sutton have on this point of view? Coach Sutton met with reporters at Changwon NC Park on the 23rd and when the story of Yoo Kang-nam’s ability to stop stealing came out, he said, “We need to look at the strengths first.”
Coach Sutton praised him, saying, “Yoo Kang-nam is a player with tremendous strengths such as ball distribution, framing, and leadership in the game.” Kang-Nam Yoo’s ability to stop stealing is pointed out as a weakness, but he has many strengths to offset it.
He also emphasized that the pitcher’s role in stopping base steals is also important. Manager Sutton said, “It is not only the catcher who can stop stealing bases.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Yoo Gang-nam doesn’t pay attention to stealing bases. Coach Sutton said, “Yoo Kang-nam is also training with battery coach Choi Kyung-cheol in regards to stopping base stealing.” Coach Sutton said, “Coach Kyung-cheol Choi has joined, and not only Yoo Kang-nam, but also other catchers are training while taking advantage of their strengths. It is noticeable that they are growing little by little. stand out,” he said.
It is not too much to say that Yoo Kang-nam is Lotte’s key player this year. Lotte has not been able to find a clear alternative since Kang Min-ho transferred to free agency. They tried to make a breakthrough through trade and internal training, but there was no catcher who would succeed Kang Min-ho. He couldn’t delay any longer. Coincidentally, a catcher named Yoo Kang-nam appeared in the FA market while Lotte had prepared a ‘money bundle’, and Lotte had no choice but to make a bold bet. Will Kang-Nam Yoo be able to become a ‘fixer’ who can make up for Lotte’s weaknesses at once? The time for proof is getting closer.