This is what former NC Dinos coach Lee Dong-wook, a former TVing commentator, said about foreign hitter Patrick Wisdom (34, KIA Tigers).스포츠토토

Wizdom was hired in December last year and is considered a key man who can determine Kia's strength this year. "Wizdom is a variable (in the Kia's ranking). If Wizdom is successful, Kia is the strongest team," said Yoon Hee-sang, a KBS N sports commentator who picked Kia, the defending champion, as a candidate for the Korean Series. Wizdom is a big hitter who has 88 home runs in the Major League Baseball (MLB). He is an "active big leaguer" who played 75 games for the Chicago Cubs last season.

As a substitute for Socrates Brito, a long-term foreign hitter who has been with him since the 2022 season, he gained high expectations when signing his contract. However, his performance in practice and exhibition games in Okinawa, Japan, was minimal. Notably, his batting average in seven exhibition games remained at 0.222 (four hits in 18 times at bat). He only recorded one homer, but his slugging percentage was not high at 0.444. The batting average in scoring was 0.111. On the spot, people cautiously said, "Do we need more time?" Many foreign players, like Luke Scott (former SK Wyverns) and James Ronnie (former LG Twins), failed to adapt to the league despite his stellar career in the big leagues.

Considering the proportion of foreign hitters in the team, the "early slump" could be painful. What should be noted is Kia's situation. Veteran hitters such as Na Sung-bum (272 homers) and Choi Hyung-woo (395) will be at the center of Kia's lineup. Commissioner Lee Dong-wook recalled the case of NC's foreign hitter Aaron Altair in the past. Altair, who wore NC's uniform in 2020, fell into a batting slump early in the same season. His batting average in the first 13 games of the season was 0.182, while Altair, who recovered his batting sense from the bottom line, exploded with 31 homers. "We had good players such as Park Seok-min (retired) and Yang Eui-ji (currently Doosan Bears), so we were able to recover our batting sense by hitting Altair," Commissioner Lee Dong-wook said. "The situation is similar at Wizdum. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho can give Wizdum time to adapt. Then he will fully play his role."

Kia's strength lies in its depth of play. It had Kim Do-young, the MVP of the regular season, last year, but does not depend on a specific player. Even if a player is absent, it has ample resources to replace the vacancy. "There will be no first-round match. All 10 teams have similar capabilities," coach Lee Bum-ho said. "I don't think I am the first place unconditionally because I like the members." However, multiple sources from other teams unanimously said, "KIA's depth is different. It has improved even more than last year." The reason why they do not worry too much even if Wizdom's batting performance is slow to increase.

"There are good hitters in the back and forth of Wizdom," Yoon Hee-sang said. "It is an environment where players can easily adapt (with synergy effect)," adding, "There is a high possibility that things will go well (even if the team is sluggish in the beginning)."