Kiwoom Heroes Ronnie Dawson (28) continued his streak of hits in 7 games.
Dawson started as a left fielder in the 3rd match against the LG Twins in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 3rd and recorded 1 hit in 4 at-bats. Considering his recent hot hitting, it is a somewhat disappointing result, but in the first 10 games of his debut, he vomited the spirit of hitting all but one game.
Kiwoom started this season with foreign hitter Edison Russell. Russell, who joined during the season as a substitute foreign hitter in 2020 and had experience playing in the KBO league, at the time had a batting average of 2.54 (62 hits in 244 at bats), 2 homers, 31 RBIs, and OPS of .653 in 65 games. Failed.
This year, Russell, who has been with the team since spring camp and raised expectations, recorded a batting average of .286 (63 hits in 220 bats), 4 homers, 42 RBIs, and an OPS of .739 in 59 games. However, large and small injuries continued, and eventually, after suffering a wrist injury, he was absent for a long time. Kiwoom decided to replace Russell ahead of the second half.
Kiwoom’s chosen hitter is Dawson. Dawson, who was playing in the American independent league, signed a contract for a total of 85,000 dollars (approximately 110.5 million won). He recorded an overwhelming minimum salary even considering that he was a substitute foreign player who joined during the season with a very small amount by foreign player standards. It is only 1/21 of Casey Kelly (LG, $1.8 million), who recorded the highest contract this season, and 1/20 of Jose Pirella (Samsung, $1.7 million), who recorded the highest contract among foreign hitters.
But Dawson is doing a remarkable job, as if trying to prove that career and salary aren’t the only criteria for evaluating a player. He’s batting 4.2 1 Lee (16-for-38) with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs for a 1.147 OPS in 10 games. Although he does not have a large sample yet, he received a passing grade based on his grades so far. 꽁머니
Coach Hong Won-ki said, “Dawson has adapted well to both defense and hitting, and has melted well into the team. The performance he has to show is showing enough, and the chemistry with our players is good. The most positive thing is that he is leading the players in a good direction.”
Coach Hong Won-ki, who praised Dawson as “a very exciting player,” said, “As soon as he came to Korea, he played overtime and played all games alone. He looked tired, so he went out as a designated hitter in some games, but he is a player with good energy, so I believe he will do well,” he said, expecting Dawson’s performance.
Kiwoom’s leading hitter Lee Jung-hoo was ruled out for the season due to an injury. However, with Dawson’s joining, Lee Jung-hoo’s regret is being relieved a little. After Lee Jung-hoo advances to the major leagues after this season, Kiwoom is raising hopes for the ‘post-Lee Jung-hoo’ era by watching Dawson.