Since the opening two games of the professional baseball season, the fortunes of foreign hitters have diverged. In a word, the old guard was indeed the clear winner. Experienced players swung their bats vigorously while newcomers remained silent.

Players like Samsung's Lewin Diaz (9 at-bats, 5 hits, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs), LG's Austin Dean (9 at-bats, 3 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs), KT's Mel Rojas Jr. (9 at-bats, 2 hits, 1 RBI), SSG's Guillermo Heredia (7 at-bats, 2 hits, 1 RBI), Lotte's Victor RAY (7 at-bats, 3 hits), NC's Matt Davidson (6 at-bats, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 RBI), Kiwoom's Yasiel Puig (7 at-bats, 4 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs), and Ruben Cardenas (9 at-bats, 6 hits, 1 home run, 6 RBIs) all managed to hit more than 2 hits in the opening two games.

In contrast, KIA's Patrick Wisdom (5 at-bats, no hits), Doosan's Jake Cave (8 at-bats, no hits), and Hanwha's Estevan Florial (8 at-bats, no hits, 1 RBI) quietly passed the opening two games without recording their first hit.

All three players are foreign hitters with high expectations this season. Wisdom is a notable player with a career total of 88 home runs over 7 seasons in Major League Baseball, while Cave hit 45 home runs over 7 seasons, playing full-time for the Colorado Rockies last year. Florial, a top prospect from the New York Yankees, also raised expectations by quickly adapting with a batting average of .400 (8 hits in 20 at-bats) during the exhibition games.

However, they were silent during the opening two games as if they had made a promise. Wisdom showed his plate discipline by drawing 3 walks, but Cave struggled with 2 strikeouts in back-to-back games. Florial was disappointing with no hits in 3 at-bats with runners on base.

Foreign hitters generally require more time to adapt to a new league compared to pitchers. In the unfamiliar pitcher-batter confrontations, batters are typically at a disadvantage, and the Korean-style automatic ball-strike zone may also feel unfamiliar. The fact that each team had 1-2 starting pitchers for the opening two games must also be taken into consideration.

It is impossible to evaluate based on just 2 games in a long 144-game season. At least one month and 100 at-bats must pass before a 'estimate' can be made. However, since all three teams need to perform well, if the adaptation period extends, the pressure on foreign hitters will inevitably increase. KIA needs to break its championship slump after victory, and Doosan is in the final year of manager Lee Seung-yeop's contract. Hanwha also has an unprecedented desire for fall baseball in the first year of the new Daejeon stadium.

Moreover, this year is a special situation. There are proven alternative foreign hitter resources available. Socrates Brito, who played for KIA for the last three years until last year, is a prime example. Socrates, who became a free agent after KIA lifted his reserve clause decisively, can sign freely with any KBO team during the season. After unsuccessful negotiations for a re-contract with KIA, Socrates rejected an offer from a Taiwanese team and signed with a Mexican team, thus preparing to come to Korea at any time. Transferring to another league during the season in the Mexican league is much easier than in Taiwan.

Not only Socrates but also Ronnie Dawson is available. Dawson, who played for Kiwoom for two years, injured his right anterior cruciate ligament in a collision while playing defense at the end of July last year and underwent surgery, resulting in him being out for the season. Dawson, who is currently rehabilitating in the U.S., can also sign with any team now that Kiwoom has given up his reserve clause. While his knee rehabilitation status and game sense are variables, he is a player with reliable contact ability, making him a fine alternative resource in terms of hitting.

As the struggles of foreign hitters, who play a significant role in the team's batting order, continue, it is inevitable that Socrates and Dawson, both insurance cards for all 10 teams, will be called upon frequently. Among the impatient fans, discussions about Socrates have already started. Although it might be too early to discuss this after just two games, there could be fierce competition beneath the surface after just a month.

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