Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates) has gone on a long silence at the plate. The change in batting form didn’t last long.

As of July 27, Bae is batting .242 with two home runs, 18 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 20 doubles, and a .618 OPS in 72 games this season. With a league average OPS of 100, his OPS+ is 71, which puts him at 70% of league average.

Despite batting leadoff, Bae’s on-base percentage is only 0.304. His on-base percentage (.314) is also low compared to his batting average, as he doesn’t have a lot of long balls. The only consolation is that he’s already made a strong impression on the basepaths, stealing 20 bases before the season was even halfway over.메이저놀이터

He’s been in a bit of a hitting slump lately. After going 0-for-3 against Milwaukee on April 19, Bae went a week without a hit in 23 at-bats before going 0-for-4 against Miami on April 26. He did manage to draw two walks, but his slugging percentage didn’t rise above 0.1 (0.087).

The team is also in a downward spiral. Pittsburgh has lost a whopping 10 straight games since losing to the Chicago Cubs on April 14 (3-11). They finally snapped the losing streak in Miami on April 24, but then dropped the next two games. Pittsburgh, which was 34-30 on the season and in first place in the National League Central before the losing streak, has dropped to fourth place with a five-game winning percentage.

Source. /AFPBBNews=News1

Bae hitting in a game on March 31 (left) and May 31. /Photo=MLB.com Galmuri
Bae was batting in the low double digits until mid-April this season. However, as of May 10, his batting average had dropped to .232, and he made a change in his batting form to improve his performance. MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, explained, “Bae has changed his hitting mechanics from a ‘high leg kick’ to a take-back with a shortened stride.” The reason for this was that extreme leg kicks can be powerful, but it’s hard to hit the ball accurately.

In the month since May 11, Bae has been hitting well, with a .320 batting average and a .774 OPS. The change in batting form seemed to be working. However, since then, Bae has hit a plateau again.

Bae has shown promise at the plate since his minor league days. When he was in Single-A, MLB Pipeline, the prospect specialty of MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, graded him on a 20-80 scale that quantifies a player’s ability, giving him a 55 in contact. A score above 50 is considered an average starter, so he’s been recognized since he was a prospect.

After struggling at the plate since his debut in the major leagues last year, Bae finally seemed to reach his potential after making a change. But now, Bae is being tested again.