Will KIA Tigers' rising star Byun Woo-hyuk be able to become the next first baseman of the tiger corps.안전놀이터
KIA was the hero of the 2024 KBO League. KIA won the regular league title with 87 wins, 55 losses and two draws (0.613 win rate). Having advanced to the Korean Series for the first time in seven years since the 2017 season, KIA was also strong at the top of the fall baseball league. With four wins and one loss against the Samsung Lions, KIA won its 12th overall championship.
Kia aims to win its second consecutive title in the Korean Series in the 2025 season. Kia is still a team with strong capabilities. Kim Do-young has become a superstar representing the KBO League, while other players including Kim Sun-bin, Choi Hyung-woo, Na Sung-bum and Park Chan-ho are also in good shape. Jang Hyun-sik, a must-win team, left for the LG Twins for a total of 5.2 billion won (approx. However, the bullpen is still strong as Jeon Sang-hyun, Kwak Do-gyu, and Jung Hae-young are holding on.
What Kia should complement is the offense power of the first baseman. In the 2024 season, Kia ranked sixth in the league with an OPS of 0.784. Lee, who was named the main first baseman of this season, showed stellar performance in the first half by posting a batting average of .300 range (0.317) until June, but his batting average plummeted to .223 in the second half after returning from a hamstring injury. In the Korean Series, he remained silent while posting a batting average of .100 range (0.167).
If Lee Woo-sung fails to rebound next season, there is one player who can be an alternative. It is Byun Woo-hyuk. Byun Woo-hyuk joined the Hanwha Eagles as the first pick in the 2019 rookie draft. He was in the spotlight as a right-handed big shot prospect in Hanwha, but he did not become a full starter.
Byun Woo-hyuk transferred to Kia through a trade in November 2022. Kia gave up Han Seung-hyuk and Jang Ji-soo to Byun Woo-hyuk. He left a batting average of 0.225 with seven homers, 24 RBIs and an OPS of 0.664 in 83 games in the 2023 season. Although he did not receive enough opportunities, he showed some potential by hitting seven homers.
In the 2023 season, he has improved his skills to the next level. Byun had a batting average of 0.304 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and an OPS of 0.839, in 69 games. Although he did not meet the required batting average, it was meaningful because he achieved the batting average of around 300 for the first time since his debut and his OPS exceeded 0.8. Notably, he played an active role in Kia's victory by posting a batting average of 0.309 in the second half of the year.
Having already finished his military service, Byun is now a key prospect in Kia. If Byun is reborn as a next-generation powerhouse with full capacity in the 2025 season, Kia will be able to take one step closer to winning its 13th overall title. Attention is focusing on how Byun will perform in the 2025 season.