“It's a swing that puts strength into using the arms.”

At the point after midway through this year's spring camp in Tainan, Taiwan, manager Kim Tae-hyung expressed concerns about Na Seung-yeop. He noted that the player is putting strength into his swing in an attempt to force more home runs. Manager Kim said, “You can't just hit a home run whenever you want. Right now, Na Seung-yeop's swing is not about rotating; he is using his arms first and putting strength into his swing. Seung-yeop should be swinging with rotation, but that's not the case now,” adding, “He needs to hit about 20 home runs to increase his value. However, he should focus on establishing his average and hit home runs one at a time when he has room to do so.”

Last year, he played 121 games with a batting average of .312 (127 hits in 407 at-bats), 7 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 59 runs scored, achieving an OPS of .880. He ranked 14th in batting average and 11th in OPS, becoming one of the top hitters in the league. In particular, he recorded an on-base percentage of .411, ranking 6th. His plate discipline has been recognized since his debut, leading to his development into a highly productive hitter. However, he noted that it is not yet time to focus on power. As a player in his first full-time year, he emphasized the need for consistent performance to use last year's results as a benchmark.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung conveyed this message to the hitting coaching staff and Na Seung-yeop. Ironically, this led to an increase in home runs. On the 8th, in the exhibition opener against the Kia Tigers at Sajik Stadium in Busan, Na Seung-yeop started as the 5th batter and first baseman. In the bottom of the 6th inning, with one out and no runners on base, he hit a solo home run over the right-field fence off Kim Do-hyun's 144 km/h fastball, putting the team at a 1-3 deficit. Recently, Na Seung-yeop has been hitting home runs consecutively. On the 28th of last month, he hit a home run in an interleague game against the 'sister team' Chiba Lotte Marines, and added another in the game against the Doosan Bears at the Miyazaki Koshun Tournament on the 2nd. Up to this date, he has hit home runs in 3 of the last 4 games, including practice matches.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung's message has been effectively conveyed to Na Seung-yeop, who is implementing this advice at the plate. After the game on the 8th, Na Seung-yeop explained, “While training in Taiwan, I was relying heavily on using my arms for my swing. The coaches – manager Kim Tae-hyung, coach Lim Hoon, and coach Lee Seong-gon – advised me to focus more on rotation. Since my hands and arms will naturally move forward, they suggested utilizing the rotational power of my body more, and it seems to be working well and definitely shows effect.”

He continued, “When the manager mentioned that it seemed like I was overly conscious of hitting home runs, I discussed it with the coaches every day in the room and made some changes.” Although he does not have the physique typical of a power hitter, his relatively slender frame reminds one of Lee Seung-yeop, the Doosan manager, who became a legendary home run hitter in the KBO. Manager Lee Seung-yeop was known for his swing that capitalized on rotational power during his playing days. Na Seung-yeop seems to be leveraging that rotational power more and, as he bulked up, the added strength is translating into power for long hits. He faced the lowered fence, which dropped from 6m to 4.8m, for the first time in an official game after the demolition of the 'Seongdamjang.' Na Seung-yeop commented, “I'm not sure how much of a difference I feel yet, but lowering the fence seems to have made it a bit easier.” In fact, Na Seung-yeop's home run that day had a low launch angle of 20 degrees. It could have potentially been caught by the fence. He mentioned, “At first, I was conscious of the fence while watching my hit. Since it wasn't a high fly ball, I thought it could get caught. But it feels like it has become a bit easier.”

He plays a key role in Lotte's new core termed 'Yun-Go-Na-Hwang.' Accordingly, his salary jumped from 40 million won to 120 million won. He received his first paycheck last month. Regarding the amount in his account, he smiled and said, “I thought, ‘Was it this much?’ It was a bit new.” He added, “I feel a greater sense of responsibility this year than last year. I’m not sure about the pressure, but I can say for sure that I feel a heightened sense of responsibility.”

During high school, he was on the verge of making it into the major leagues. However, his path changed dramatically after the draft when he joined Lotte. Now, he is a high-salary player, with only a successful career ahead. He remarked, “I’ve never regretted giving up on the opportunity to go to America. I think joining Lotte was the right decision.” He reflected, “If I had gone to America, I might not have stayed with the team, and I could have been preparing for military service. It was thanks to the team Lotte that I was able to change my decision.”

He expressed a desire to grow even more this year and hopes to be selected for the national team for next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC). He also rejoined the national team through the Premier 12 last year. He stated, “I think every baseball player would want to attend. This year, I hope to step up more than last year, and I would be grateful if I could be selected for the national team.”

[OSEN = Jo Hyung-rae, Reporter]