I expected a Tes-hyung level...
KIA Tigers foreign hitter Harold Castro is showing signs of a slump again. He drew attention with explosive hitting in the first three opening games, but then went hitless over the next four games. It seemed his hitting had returned and might lead an eight-game winning streak, but his hitting cycle dropped again and he could not contribute during the five-game losing streak.
On the 23rd, in the Suwon game against the KT Wiz, he started as the No. 5 hitter and in the top of the first inning a no-out, bases-loaded opportunity arose. It was immediately after Kim Do-young's RBI single produced the first run. He pulled the outside changeup from starter So Hyeong-jun, but it resulted in a double play to second base, yielding only one additional run. He could not continue the chance into a big inning.
All four of his plate appearances that day ended in groundouts to first or second base. He tried to pull pitches on the outer part of the plate but all resulted in groundouts. The day before, with his team trailing 0-2 in the top of the second inning with no outs and a runner on first, he also grounded into a double play to second and cut off the chance himself. He is strong inside but the opposing battery successfully attacked his outer weakness.
During the team's five-game losing stretch, there were three scoring-chance situations but they were all silent. Over five games he had 16 at-bats with four hits (two doubles), one walk and two runs scored. He went hitless in three games. He failed to reach base with extra-base hits and was also lacking in clutch-hit situations. As Kim Seon-bin, Kim Do-young and Na Sung-bum all slumped at the plate, the team fell into a losing streak.
Since the opener he has appeared in 21 games and had 88 plate appearances. He is hitting .265 with two home runs, 16 RBIs, 15 runs, a .446 slugging percentage and a .295 on-base percentage. For a foreign hitter his OPS is only .741. His batting average with runners in scoring position is also low at .249. He has grounded into four double plays, ranking tied for second. He also has a high strikeout total (19).
Overall, his performance is not as expected. Not only is his slugging percentage not high, his on-base percentage is too low. He struggled to adjust to the unfamiliar Korean ABS zone. When a weakness appears, the opposing battery relentlessly attacks it, and he falters. Because he is adapting to the unfamiliarity, his contact skills, which were recognized even in the major leagues, are not shining at 100 percent.
Because he hit 21 home runs in last year's minor leagues, KIA expected at least the level of contribution from Castro that Socrates Brito provided in leading the 2024 championship when they signed him. Socrates hit .310 with 26 home runs, 97 RBIs, 92 runs and an OPS of .875 (slugging .516, on-base .359).
Castro can still be seen as falling short of expectations. Of course he hasn't even reached 100 plate appearances. His RBI pace would exceed 90. So we need to watch him more. In the world of competition there are actions and reactions. When opponents analyze and come at you, you work to find a breakthrough. With major leaguer pride he must counterattack so the team's offense can revive. That is the picture manager Lee Beom-ho wants. <
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