Can Lotte Giants’ blast continue to the end?
As of the 29th, Lotte is in third place with a win rate of 26 wins and 16 losses and a win rate of 6%. Based on a solid player base and ‘momentum’, he is leading the box office in the KBO League.
Among Lotte’s team records, few mistakes stand out. In the past, Lotte often missed games that were caught due to defensive anxiety. However, this season, Lotte is recording the least error of the season with Samsung with 20 errors. The fielding percentage was also 0.987, ranking second in the league (first place Samsung, 0.988).
However, errors and fielding percentage cannot fully explain the team’s defensive power. Just because there are few errors does not necessarily mean that the defense is solid. Fielding percentage does not include fielding range and difficulty at bat.
An indicator that can intuitively see team defense ratio in the KBO league is defensive efficiency (DER). DER shows how many balls in play are out. Lotte’s DER is 8th (0.674), which is far from error and fielding percentage. It’s a controversial record, but defensive win contribution to average (defensive WAA) is also -0.776, which is only ninth.
Referring to DER and defensive WAA, it is difficult to say that Lotte’s defense is good, with only a few errors.안전놀이터
In fact, Lotte’s current and future Han Dong-hee’s batted ball handling rate is 86.3%, which is only 7th out of 9 third basemen who have filled the required at-bats. Outfielder Rex’s batting average was 27.2%, the lowest in the league. The probability that super rookie Kim Min-seok will allow an additional base is 46.7%, which is the 3rd highest among outfielders in the league (joint 3rd with Rex).
Offense calls for spectators, defense calls for victory. This is a famous saying in the sports world. In order for Lotte to continue its upward trend, it is necessary to save the details of the defense.
Starting on the 30th, Lotte will play three consecutive matches against the first-place LG Twins. Coincidentally, LG boasts the most errors (49) and the lowest fielding percentage (0.972) in the league, but their DER is the highest in the league at 0.699. It boasts the opposite defensive team color to Lotte. The defense of both teams will decide the win or loss.