“Who wants to take the Ferraza passport?”
“You’re the most impressive foreign hitter since Jay Davis.”
Fans of the Hanwha Eagles were excited. After losing the opening game, Hanwha Eagles became the sole winner thanks to its seven consecutive wins. It is the first time in 32 years that Hanwha has won seven games in eight games since the 1992 season. Some fans even said, “This could lead to 10 consecutive wins.”
At the center of Hanwha’s initial craze is Jonathan Peraza, a 26-year-old hitter who is not from Venezuela. Despite being 175 centimeters tall, he is short for a foreign player, but he has been driving his team to victory by banking on his robust physical strength and flexibility. Among female fans, she is praised for being cute, but baseball is a great player.
As of Tuesday, Peraza had a batting average of 0.529, ranking second overall after Chung. His on-base percentage was 0.583, while his on-base percentage (OPS) was 1.617, a gap between him and his team. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning in Game 3 against KT on April 31, thus tying for first with Choi Jeong (SSG) and Rojas (KT). “He is doing better than expected,” Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said.
When signing a contract with Hanwha in November last year, Peraza filled the $1 million contract limit for KBO foreign players, including $200,000 in down payment, $600,000 in annual salary, and $200,000 in options. While most of the foreigners who come to KBO have major league experience, Peraza only has minor league experience. Nevertheless, it was steadily growing and receiving attention from domestic clubs. Last season, he played for Iowa, a Triple-A club under the Chicago Cubs, and was released as a FA without receiving a call-up, but when several clubs hesitated to review Peraza’s defense, Hanwha actively called for the maximum amount and caught Peraza.
Noh Si-hwan, KBO home run king and teammate, predicted the success of Peraza early on. Just by watching the video of Peraza’s play last winter, he was confident that he would do well. The swing speed is very fast but the swing is short, which makes a strong impact when he hits the ball. In particular, Noh Si-hwan evaluated that his batting eye was okay. At the media day held on the eve of the opening, Noh said, “Playing Peraza is too stable. Lotte Victor Reyes also looks good, but not Peraza.”
As the season begins, people say, “Roh Si-hwan’s assessment was accurate.” Usually, foreign hitters who come to the KBO show weaknesses in breaking balls during the adaptation period, but Peraza aims at breaking balls rather than others. When he hit his first and second consecutive homeruns of the season against LG on the 23rd of last month, he also targeted changeups and curves. Experts say that Peraza does not easily follow the bat on the breaking ball, and his ability to hit straight hits is outstanding. With his strength, he is fast at batting, he actively plays base running, and his outfield defense not bad, some fans already say, “This time, he succeeded in drawing a dragon bottle.”
Of course, some critics say we should wait and see as the season is in its infancy. However, it is clear that the current pace is overwhelming. Some Hanwha fans say that if he continues as he is now, he will surpass J. Davis. Jay Davis, considered the best foreign hitter in the history of the Hanwha Eagles, recorded a batting average of 0.313 and an OPS of 0.916 in 836 games from 1999 to 2006 (excluding 2003), and led the team to win its first championship since its foundation in 1999. Experts say that as the season continues, the key is how to overcome the situation when analysis, checks, and attacks on the player come in.
Amid strong batting performances by starting pitchers and starting pitchers, the Hanwha Eagles will seek its 10th consecutive win in 25 years. Hanwha, which recorded eight consecutive wins in June last year, will hold three consecutive home games against Lotte from Friday. If it sweeps the series against Lotte, which suffered a slump in the beginning of this season, it will re-enact its 10th consecutive win in the 1999 season, which it won the Korean Series, in 25 years.
If Ryu wins the first and second games of the three consecutive games, his team legend Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to start the third game on Saturday, when he is aiming for 10 consecutive wins. If he wins the game again, he could have 10 consecutive wins for the first time in 25 years, and Ryu’s 99th career win in the KBO. To do so, hitters such as Peraza and Roh Si-hwan should continue the current pace.
BY: 토토사이트링크