The Hanwha Eagles’ outfield team is poised to once again break the worst record ever.
As of the 29th, Hanwha, who played 45 games, recorded 16 wins, 26 losses, 3 draws, and a win rate of 0.381, ranking 9th ahead of KT Wiz by 0.5 games. As Hanwha’s team rankings are low, most of the team records remain at the bottom, but the hitters’ records are relatively sluggish compared to the pitcher’s record (team hitting WAR 2.28 / pitcher WAR 4th 6.27) 메이저놀이터
. The record of the Hanwha outfield team stands out. This season, Hanwha’s team outfield batting WAR is negative at -1.41. This record is the second lowest in KBO league history. The team with the lowest WAR -3.81 was Hanwha in the 2021 season. Indicators such as batting average (0.191), OPS (0.517), and wRC+ (50.7) are the lowest ever in the KBO League, beating Hanwha in the 2021 season.
Hanwha, who made the worst outfield black history ever in the 2021 season, recruited foreign hitter Mike Tuckman for the 2022 season and saw a definite effect. Last year, Hanwha’s team outfield batting WAR rebounded to 3.41. It was the lowest among 10 clubs, but considering that the previous year’s WAR was -3.81, it was a remarkable figure. However, if you look closely, Tuchman alone recorded a WAR of 4.98, and the rest of the outfielders were hard to see as starting players.
Hanwha Eagles Brian O’Grady
Tuckman was a proven player who could hold the center in the outfield, but Hanwha did not reveal its will to renew the contract. In the end, Hanwha chose Brian O’Grady, who had the lowest batting average in Japan, instead of Tuchman. After failing to renew his contract, Tuchman returned to the United States and signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Now, two months after the opening, the joys and sorrows of Hanwha and Tuckman are mixed. O’Grady, who Hanhwa recruited in place of Tuchman, is at the bottom of the league with a WAR of -0.86 despite only playing 86 plate appearances in 22 games. With no outfielder to hold the center, only three outfielders, Lee Jin-young (0.09), Noh Soo-gwang (0.08), and Jang Un-ho (0.04), barely recorded a plus WAR value.
On the other hand, Tuckman, wearing the uniform of his hometown team the Cubs, fulfilled his dream of returning to the major leagues. Cody Bellinger’s injury left the outfield vacant, and the Cubs called Tuchman up to the big leagues. Seizing the opportunity, Tuchman is performing beyond expectations, recording a batting average of 0.333 (8 hits in 24 at-bats) and an OPS of 0.842 in 9 games. On the 29th (Korean time) against the Cincinnati Reds, he even recorded 3 hits in the major leagues for the first time in 2 years.
Tuckman has already left, and Hanwha has only regrets. O’Grady, who took the lead in rewriting the dark history of the Hanwha outfield, is eventually on the verge of being kicked out. As of now, Hanwha’s choice to give up the proven card that raised the outfield, which was the worst ever, has become the worst choice.