Jose Rojas (30), a Doosan foreign-born outfielder, has seen his season batting average plummet back into the single digits after an abysmal 8-for-7 performance in his last 10 games. At this rate, the team is likely to lose the $650,000 (about 800 million won) it invested in Dylan Pyle and the $1 million (about 1.3 billion won) it paid for Rojas’ contract.
Rojas started the 10th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against NC at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on April 28 as the No. 7 designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. 토토사이트
Until the sixth inning, Rojas was not the only one struggling. The Doosan bats were held to one hit, one walk and no runs over six innings, including a perfect game in the top of the fifth against the KBO’s top ace, Eric Peddy. Rojas led off the third inning with a single and was stranded on second base in the fifth after a grounder to shortstop.
However, Rojas’ slump wasn’t caused by meeting Pedi. He just happened to be in a bad spot. Down 0-2 with runners on first and third in the seventh inning, Rojas struck out swinging against reliever Kim Young-kyu, and in the ninth inning, down 1-4, Rojas had runners on first and second with no outs but hit a helpless grounder to second base against Lee Yong-chan. Rojas’ season batting average dropped from 1.962 to 1.962 with his third straight hitless game.
Rojas, who signed with Doosan for $1 million ($50,000 signing bonus, $850,000 salary, $100,000 incentive), has struggled to adjust to the league three months into the season. His season numbers are 1-for-9 with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 27 RBIs and a .678 OPS in 55 games, with one trip to the second team during the season showing no improvement. His Futures League performance was even worse, going 2-for-2 in seven games. Despite his reputation as a spray heater, he managed to survive in the first team by hitting a surprise 10 home runs (tied for seventh), but he hasn’t hit a home run since April 4 against Suwon KT.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop, a former national team hitter, said, “I heard that he was frustrated because the timing was right but the ball kept missing. Maybe there’s a trajectory problem, or maybe he’s not looking at the ball all the way through. I need to push the ball more to get a wide hit, but there are a lot of shaved balls,” he diagnosed, emphasizing, “I think it will get better if I get caught a little bit as I go out to play. It should get better, not worse.”
메이저놀이터순위 However, as his manager’s faith in him has grown, Rojas’ hitting numbers have fallen further. In May alone, he showed signs of rebounding with a monthly batting average of 2.24, but his monthly batting average in June dropped sharply to 1.22, and if you limit the time frame to the last 10 games, the figure drops even further to 8.7. Jang has also been missing for more than three weeks since his last at-bat against Suwon KT on April 4. This is why there are growing calls for Rojas to be released.
The Doosan cheerleader, who had been leading the chants for Rojas all season, unusually downgraded the chants on this day, saying, “We’re going for a Rojas home run,” in response to the crowd chanting for a Rojas home run.
Perhaps the cheerleaders and Doosan fans already knew. Home runs are a luxury for Rojas right now. A timely hit is all he needs.