"Korean WBC Korea Worries" Korean-American Germai Jones hit disappeared! No hit in 10 at-bats → be in poverty

*This content was translated by AI.

The bat of Korean major leaguer Germai Jones (29, Detroit Tigers), who was expected to be the "secret weapon" of the Korean national baseball team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, is hardly heating up. Ryu Ji-hyun's worries also seem to be deepening over the "Bin-hit news" that broke out just over 10 days before the first round of the WBC.

Jones started as the third batter and left fielder in the 2026 MLB (major league) exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Merchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida on the 26th (Korea time), but remained silent with no hits in four at-bats.

He has no hit in four consecutive games. Jones started playing in exhibition games against the New York Yankees on the 22nd, but has struggled against the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.

On the same day, Jones grounded out to third base against Toronto starter Cody Ponce with two outs in the top of the first inning, then hit a straight hit to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning, a grounder to third base in the bottom of the sixth inning, and a grounder to first base in the bottom of the seventh inning. At the start of the eighth inning, he was replaced by Justin Big B and missed the game. With no hits in 10 at-bats in four games, the OPS (on-base plus slugging) is not good at 0.231.

In the previous 2025 season, Jones played in 72 games for Detroit and recorded a career high with a batting average of 0.287 (37 hits in 129 at-bats), seven home runs, and an OPS of 0.937. In particular, he decided to wear the national flag at the WBC in March for his mother's country, who raised six siblings alone, and is considered a key player in the national team's outfield.

However, his performance at the beginning of the exhibition game is far from last year's destructive power. Of course, he is in the process of raising his body, but it is an unexpected picture that no hits have been made. Moreover, the Korean national team is set to form a "complete body" in which all major league players, including Jones, will join from the Osaka warm-up match scheduled for March 2.

Still, there is some optimism. It is fortunate that it is not bad with two walks and one strikeout in a total of 12 at-bats. As Jones has to melt into the national team's batting lineup in earnest from the Osaka warm-up match schedule, how quickly he scores zero with Major League Baseball's pride is expected to determine Ryu Ji-hyun's competitiveness in the WBC finals.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.