“Bae Ji-hwan, you can be a main player and a super serve.” PIT prospects ranked 12th, and there was also a ‘full score’ evaluation.
Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh), who made his major league debut last year and hinted at a clear possibility, is nearing his second year of Major League Baseball season. Whether to settle down this year can be a decisive factor in the future career.
The atmosphere is very positive. Citing the potential and usability shown in the Major League last year, most media predict that Bae Ji-hwan will be included in the opening roster very easily. There are many opinions that Bae Ji-hwan, who has a clear weapon of fast feet, can grow into a main player as well as an infielder.
Keith Law, a columnist for the North American sports media “The Athletic,” one of the top authorities in evaluating prospects, announced Pittsburgh’s 2023 promising rankings on the 9th (Korea Standard Time). Bae Ji-hwan, who has already made his major league debut but is still tied to the classification of promising players due to his career and age, ranked 12th in the club. Except for pitchers and catchers, he ranks fifth in the field.
Law left a positive report on Bae Ji-hwan. Ro said, “Last year, O’Neill Cruz (currently the main shortstop of the Major League team) showed good performance in Triple A, and Bae Ji-hwan moved to second base and sometimes played as a center fielder.” Among them, the latter (outfielder) made sense considering Bae Ji-hwan, who scored 80 points (the highest score based on the 20-80 scale),” he said, looking back on last year. As Bae Ji-hwan’s main focus is receiving the league’s top-notch evaluation, he positively viewed the center fielder’s dual job, which should have a wide range of defense.
Ro then said, ‘Bae Jihwan can also play as a shortstop and has excellent bat speed. It lacks power but has a sharp stroke. However, he said, “There are many ground balls and the batting speed is not good.”
It was also accompanied by positive reviews from scouts. “I know a lot of scouts who really like him,” Ro said, recalling that there are many officials who highly value Bae Jihwan, adding, “They evaluate Bae Jihwan as a main player or a super serve who can play as a shortstop, second baseman, and center fielder.” In other words, there are many officials who acknowledge Bae Jihwan versatility.
In fact, Bae Ji-hwan is drawing attention as an expected player who will contribute to the team in various ways, going back and forth between second base and outfield this year. As he has not yet established himself on the team, he needs to set the stage for a long run with a clear nutritional value this season. Bae Ji-hwan will leave the country on the 10th and join the team’s spring training facility to prepare for fierce competition.
