'Strolling defense in the outfield?' Foreign investor controversy → The manager clearly drew a line, but in reality, it was the exact opposite...

*This content was translated by AI.

Recently, the foreign hitter who found himself at the center of controversy for being criticized for playing a "strolling defense" in the outfield is none other than Doosan Bears' foreign hitter Daz Cameron (29). However, the manager firmly drew a line, stating, "He is too kind."

On the 19th, at the Jamsil Stadium, Cameron started as the seventh hitter and right fielder in the regular-season home game against the KIA Tigers in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. He performed brilliantly, recording 3 hits in 4 at-bats (including 1 home run), 1 RBI, and 1 run scored.

Cameron hit a double in his first at-bat in the 2nd inning to tune up his batting form. He then hit a two-run single in the 4th inning, completing a multi-hit game.

Then, in the bottom of the 6th inning, with the score tied at 2-2, Cameron appeared as the leadoff hitter. He crushed a 130 km/h slider from KIA's right-handed reliever Hwang Dong-ha, drawing a solo arc over the left-field wall. This was Cameron's 4th home run of the season. Ultimately, Doosan secured a 6-3 victory thanks to Cameron's outstanding performance, achieving a two-game winning streak and a winning series.

Before this game, Cameron had recorded a batting average of 0.211 and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.694. After finishing this game, his stats stood at 19 games played, a batting average of 0.240 (18 hits in 75 at-bats), 4 home runs, 1 triple, 7 doubles, 7 RBIs, 8 runs scored, 1 stolen base (0 failed), 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 22 strikeouts, a slugging percentage of 0.520, an on-base percentage of 0.269, and an OPS of 0.789.

In fact, Cameron recently found himself at the center of controversy for showing disappointing performance in defense rather than offense. He was subjected to sharp criticism for allegedly playing a so-called "strolling defense." He also struggled with determining his defensive positioning.

Regarding this, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong, the manager, expressed his frustration, saying, "The defensive coach has established a routine where he moves forward about four steps. We have discussed this multiple times since spring training, but he has not been able to correct it."

Such behavior could easily be interpreted as laziness. However, Manager Kim firmly drew a line regarding such perceptions. When asked about this, the manager emphasized, "He is not negligent or intentionally strolling around."

He continued, "It seems that his struggles at the plate are affecting his defense. To an outside observer, when a ball is hit from his defensive position, he might appear to be giving up slightly, thinking, 'I can't catch this.' Without sprinting, it can look like a loose play. However, he is not the type of player who intentionally plays loosely due to his nature. In our view, he is not disrespectful or such a player."

Manager Kim then said, "He is just kind. If his attitude were impure or his nature were poor, I would have said something by now. But because he is kind and his batting isn't working, he might have been thinking about hitting while in the outfield," he added with a smile. Cameron then led his team to victory with a three-hit game, as if to prove everyone wrong. Will Cameron continue to show consistent good form? Expectations among Doosan fans are rising.

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*This content was translated by AI.