*This content was translated by AI.
Victor Reyes (32), a foreign hitter who is in his third season with the Lotte Giants, has changed into a new outfit. It was transformed into a leadoff by taking the weight off the central lineup. Proving that it was not a worse choice than expected, he drilled his blood into the lineup. In particular, the disgrace of the most double plays last season was nowhere to be found.
Reyes started as the No. 1 designated hitter in the final game of the opening two consecutive games of the "2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League" against the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 29th and swung a hard hit with one hit (one home run) and three walks and three RBIs in two at-bats. In the opening game on the 28th, he also led his team to victory in the opening two consecutive games with two hits and two RBIs from five times at bat.
In this series, Reyes took on the heavy responsibility of batting first. In fact, Reyes, who played for Lotte since the 2024 season, was a batter who was mainly placed in the center batting order. There is a record of two hits in five at-bats as the No. 1 hitter in the 2024 season. Except for five at-bats, he came out as a batter from No. 2 to No. 4.
Reyes showed off his excellent hit production ability with 202 hits in the 2024 season and 187 hits in the 2025 season, but it was the double play that bothered Reyes until last season. He was often double out because he was slow compared to his fast batting speed. Reyes, who produced a total of 25 double plays in the 2025 season, was first in the league in this category, and tied for third in the league with 16 in the 2024 season. It was a figure that could be interpreted that there were many situations where runners were accumulated.
However, in the 2026 season, Reyes was placed only in the first batting order. Ahead of the opening game on the 28th, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "Actually, the first batter's position is my biggest concern. Ko Seung-min hit No. 1 and Reyes hit No. 2 was the initial plan before the season. However, in the current composition, Han Tae-yang and Jang Doo-sung are the only hitters to enter the first place, but they are a little slow. First of all, there is no batting order, so I placed Reyes as No. 1."
But this decision has become a godsend. Rather, Reyes's frequency of entering the batter's box in the absence of a runner has increased, reducing the possibility of double play. It is not a typical leadoff hitter style with very fast feet, but it is a convincing decision to show an excellent on-base percentage figure at Lotte. Even in the Major League, there is a strong tendency to place strong batters in the top lineup to get at least one more at-bat.
Son Ho-young, who was placed in the second batting order just behind Reyes in two consecutive games, also explained, "It's true that I almost feel like I'm getting on base, and I'm comfortable if Reyes is in front of me because I'm playing from my first at-bat." Son Ho-young went 3 for 10 in two consecutive games and even produced a formidable good hit of two home runs.
As a result, Reyes' No. 1 deployment seems to have become a catalyst to maximize the destructive power of the team's batters. Reyes opened the door, followed by batters in good condition such as Son Ho-young, creating synergy in which opposing starting pitchers feel psychological pressure from the first inning. Although it is early in the season, the batting order is expected to be Lotte's strongest weapon for the time being.
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*This content was translated by AI.
