Theoretically perfect. The higher the launch angle of the batted ball, the longer the flight distance.
However, the chances of success are not very great. Even the hitting mechanism you have can be shaken and you can see a big disappointment. Therefore, ‘increasing the launch angle’ can be said to be a kind of gamble.
If you succeed, you can dramatically increase the number of home runs. The target of 30 homers can be guaranteed. It is a ‘fatal temptation’. Will I be able to succeed?
The player who is trying to increase the number of home runs by increasing the launch angle is Han Dong-hee, who is called the successor of Lee Dae-ho and has been appointed as Lotte’s new fourth hitter.
Han Dong-hee is scheduled to play as the built-in 4th hitter for the upcoming season. Park Heung-sik, head coach of Lotte, declared, “It was decided to lead the team by fixing it on number 4, whether it be porridge or rice.”
The home run target given to Han Dong-hee is 30.
However, Han Dong-hee has not yet reached 30 home runs. His 17 home runs were his most in a season.
The Lotte coaching staff’s diagnosis is that the problem lies in the launch angle. The number of home runs cannot be increased because there are too many line drive batted balls.
Coach Park Heung-sik, 안전놀이터 who has experience in nurturing league-representative home run hitters such as Lee Seung-yeop and Park Byeong-ho, said, “Han Dong-hee’s average launch angle is mostly between 10 and 20 degrees. It is an angle where it is difficult to hit many home runs at Sajik Stadium, where the outfield fence is wide and high. Too many well-hit balls hit the fence with a line drive. Because of his slow legs, most of the time he couldn’t get to second base on that pitch. He needed to find a way to use good power.”
He continued, “Han Dong-hee’s batted ball was hit with too many hits. As a result, his launch angle was forced to be low. The launch angle should be between 30 and 40 degrees. To do that, you have to give his batted ball some spin. Rather than hit with a regular hit like now, you need to form a swing trajectory with the base of the ball and give it a lot of spin. Right now, the rotation rate of the batted ball is too low. We plan to change the hitting mechanism to increase the number of rotations.”
Currently, Han Dong-hee’s batted ball average rotational speed is about 3,000 rpm. Chief Park pointed out that the revs should come out at least 3500rpm.
It is a risky gamble to increase the rotation rate and increase the distance by pushing the swing into the base of the ball. If you succeed, you can hit the jackpot, but if you fail, even the advantages you had may disappear and you may kick a small gourd.
This is because it is an attempt to change the striking mechanism itself. You have to change the point where you hit the ball, but that is not as easy as it sounds.
A commentator with a good knowledge of batting said, “It is never easy to ask a player who used to hit the ball to make a swing that digs into the base. The momentary judgment must be changed, and the playing habit itself may have to be changed. It is not for nothing that it is called gambling. Mastering such a mechanism requires a great deal of training and effort. I think it will be possible or not. There will be a lot of trial and error. There is no guarantee that Lotte will be able to afford to wait for the trial and error. If you can’t wait, you can’t rule out the possibility that it will eventually return to its place and end in failure. It’s perfect in theory, but no one knows if it can be used in practice. I wonder to what extent they are determined to master the new mechanism.”
Chief Park said, “Han Dong-hee started producing results from the last minute of finishing training.” However, she subsequently had a period of inactivity of two months. She may have to start over at spring camp.
Can Donghee Han minimize the period of trial and error and make the new mechanism his own? If that part is shaken, there is a high possibility that Lotte’s ‘dream of strengthening the batting line’ will go to waste.