'Foreign investor with no home runs' attitude controversy, swinging bat at the bench... ABS dissatisfaction... Kiwoom spends '1.27 billion won' on 'foreign investor' batter again, causing headaches

*This content was translated by AI.

135 at-bats, no home runs. The only foreign batter among 10 teams with zero home runs. What makes people frown even more is that he keeps causing problems even in the work week.

Kiwoom Heroes is struggling with foreign batter issues again this season. Trenton Brooks (31) has been in severe slump in 38 games this season with a batting average of 0.222 (135 at-bats, 30 hits), 16 RBIs, 11 runs scored, on-base percentage of 0.294, slugging percentage of 0.267, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.561.

The only encouraging point is that his batting average with runners in scoring position reached 0.364 (33 at-bats, 12 hits), but with nearly 30% of the season completed, the fact that the foreign batter has not hit a single home run makes this advantage seem meaningless.

Manager Seol Jong-jin said ahead of the game on the 14th, "There's no choice but to hope he improves. We are still in conversation," and added, "We need to think again about how to utilize him. He was started because he showed good performance as a pinch hitter twice last time, but if he doesn't perform, we will consider changing direction and using him as a pinch hitter again."

Perhaps because things are not going well at all, problems are also appearing in his attitude. Especially during the game against Hanwha on the 13th, after hitting a ground ball to the infield, he threw his bat toward the first base dugout, expressing his emotions.

Manager Seol said, "I called him in today and talked to him. That kind of action is bad for his own image and harms the team atmosphere, so I told him not to do such things. If he is upset, he should do it where the fans or the dugout cannot see. I told him that part was wrong behavior."

However, the disappointing attitude did not end there. Although he scored a run when Hanwha fielders failed to catch a foul ball in the 4th inning, he ended up with just one hit in four at-bats, which was content he could not be satisfied with.

So perhaps that was why. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the automatic pitch judgment system (ABS) strike calls. Especially in the bottom of the 7th inning at-bat, Brooks showed strong dissatisfaction with the strike call.

MBC baseball commentator Park Jae-hong said, "Brooks seems to be unhappy with the ABS. He probably thinks, 'Why is this a strike?'" In the end, in that at-bat, Brooks seemed to have resigned himself and was retired with a looking strikeout without any special batting will, and committee member Heo Do-hwan even said, "He didn't seem to have any intention to hit at all." Watching this, manager Seol Jong-jin lowered his head.

Brooks, who entered the dugout, expressed his dissatisfaction toward his teammates. Committee member Heo Do-hwan, seeing this, pointed out, "Aren't all players receiving ABS zone calls? They need to adapt. If you try to fight the machine, only you will suffer."

Last year, Kiwoom made a bold move to strengthen its lineup by signing one foreign pitcher and two foreign batters. However, Yasiel Puig and Ruben Cardenas both disappointed and were sent packing. This season, Kiwoom, which has two foreign pitchers, signed Brooks, who joined the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 and played for the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres, in a total contract worth 850,000 dollars (about 127.4 million won). He was evaluated as a middle-to-long distance type batter with excellent plate discipline, posting a career on-base percentage of 0.382 in Triple-A, but his performance has been far below expectations, leaving a bitter taste.

Nathan Wiles, a pitcher, has already left due to injury, and temporary replacement Kenny Rosenberg has been brought in. Since a complete replacement is also being considered, there is no choice but to approach Brooks somewhat conservatively. A rebound would be the best scenario, but with attitude problems arising day after day, the concerns are growing.

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*This content was translated by AI.