Shaping Up As A New Batter

“Slap hitter” Park Yong-taek (25•LG) has transformed himself into a slugger this year.

Park Yong-Taek, who is known as the “good-looking star” of pro baseball, launched homers in each of the 3 consecutive matches which opened on the 4th against “sibling team” Doo-San. Park currently stands tied for 6th place with 7 homeruns as of May 6. Park Yong-taek recorded 9 homeruns in his rookie year in 2002 and notched 11 last year, typical for a slap hitter. He recorded 42 stolen bases as a leading batter for LG last year and came in 2nd place in stolen bases right after Lee Jong-bum (50 stolen bases). The baseball fans remember him as a player who puts the ball on the ground and uses his speed to beat out hits.

What has changed Park Yong-taek’s hits into shots?

First, he focused on gaining strength through weight training. Last year, Park Yong-taek suffered from a left shoulder injury all season. The operation was finished on October 10th last year. As a result, he devoted himself to weight training and never touched a ball in the three months of his rehabilitation. As a result, his muscular strength went up and he reduced his surplus fat.

The other factor was his change of batting stance. Park Yong-taek, who is an ambidextrous batter and utilizes his right hand to throw and bats with his left, had a single-legged hitting stance until last year, when he changed to a stance where the batter holds his right foot up until the impact of the hit.

But in spring training, Park kept his right foot down and changed to a swing which he drags his foot on the surface rather than holding it up. He felt much smoother and a better batting sense with both feet on the ground. This was also possible due to his innate concentration at the moment of impact. Baseball experts complimented him on his new stance and have said, “It’s clean, with no superfluous motion.”

On top of that, he has also acquired mental stability this season. Park Yong-taek used to go aggressively after first pitches. But Park, who batted leadoff last year, has changed his approach to hitting. This year Park Kyung-soo and Park have switched positions in the batting order, with Park Yong-taek taking over Park Kyung-soo’s second spot in the lineup.

Park, who compiled a batting average of .257 last year, is hitting .312 this year.

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com