"On base king" Hong Chang-ki (LG Twins) welcomed the downgrade of the automatic pitching determination system (ABS) strike zone. Tantandae was laid on the challenge of becoming the on-base king for the third consecutive time.메이저놀이터

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which introduced the world's first ABS decision last year, has decided to adjust the strike zone's upper and lower levels by 0.6 percentage point starting this year, reflecting the players' opinions after the end of the season. The strike zone will be lowered by about 1 centimeter based on batters who are 1 meter 80 centimeters tall. It does not change the size of the zone and goes down a little bit.

As Hong has a large physique (1m89cm), he may have difficulty coping with low balls when the S-zone goes down. However, Hong expressed expectations, saying, "I think it will be in my favor." "I had a hard time getting the high balls last year," he said.

At bat, Hong waits for the ball in a crouching position. The S-zone of ABS is set according to the player's height, and even if he is tall, Hong, who has a shrunken batting form, had no choice but to have difficulty coping with the high ball. This was because the ball that the centripetal judged as a ball was often declared a strike by the ABS. Last year, Hong was particularly disappointed after being judged as a strike by a high ball around his body. "One centimeter may seem a small difference, but (ABS downgrade) will definitely help me a lot," he said.

Hong has an on-base percentage of 0.430. He ranks first in terms of digesting 3,000 or more at-bats. He surpassed the late Jang Hyo-jo (0.427) who was the No. 1 player in the field after surpassing 3,000 at-bats at the end of last year. Since becoming the main outfielder in 2020, he has been the on-base man three times. He was also the No. 1 hitter in on-base percentage last year (0.447), when the ABS was first introduced in 2021 (0.456) and 2023. He is the only active hitter who has achieved on-base percentage more than twice. In the last five seasons, Hong has overwhelmingly ranked first with an on-base percentage of 0.432 (2nd place: Choi Jeong of SSG Landers 0.392).

Hong had a batting average of 0.336, five homers, 73 RBIs and 96 runs in 139 games last year. He received an annual salary of 510 million won last year, and will receive 650 million won this year. The annual salary increase rate amounts to 27.5 percent. This is the highest annual salary for a player who is not a free agent. "I think I should do better and prepare harder," Hong said. "My goal in 2025 is to make more strong balls and increase my slugging capability."