LG Twins' second baseman leads with 4.00 WAR, surpassing Park Min-woo, after early-season struggles

[OSEN=Jamsil, Reporter Han Yong-seop] LG Twins' Shin Min-jae is being cited as the league's top second baseman with career-high performance.

Shin Min-jae led his team to a 14-1 victory with 3 hits in 6 at-bats, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored in the second game of the doubleheader against the KT Wiz held in Suwon on the 18th of last month. The 5 RBIs set a new personal record for the most RBIs in a single game.

With the team leading 2-0 in the second inning following the opposing first baseman's error and Park Hae-min's one-RBI timely hit, Shin Min-jae hit a two-RBI timely hit with two outs and runners on second and third to extend the lead to 4-0. In the fourth inning with one out and a runner on third, he added an RBI with a groundout to the pitcher. With one out and runners on first and second in the seventh inning, he hit a right-field single to load the bases, leading to a three-run big inning. In the eighth inning with two outs and the bases loaded, he hit a two-RBI right-field timely hit.

After the game, Shin Min-jae said, "I think I had up to 4 RBIs before. They said on the broadcast interview that it was a new record of 5 RBIs," adding, "I think I had around 40 RBIs last year, but this year, with more opportunities, I've had more chances to drive in runs."

Shin Min-jae has a .455 batting average with runners in scoring position and excels in clutch situations. This season, he has played in 127 games, recording a .317 batting average, 1 home run, 57 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 84 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .403, a slugging percentage of .386, and an OPS of .789.

In particular, after Hong Chang-ki underwent knee surgery and left the team in mid-May, Shin Min-jae has exceeded expectations as the leadoff hitter. His second base defense has shown improving skills over time. His outstanding performance both offensively and defensively has earned him abundant praise from manager Yeom Kyung-yup.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yup had said that Shin Min-jae would become a national team player and even the league's top second baseman, and he could secure the top second baseman spot this season.

Among league second basemen, NC Park Min-woo has played in 116 games with a .302 batting average, 3 home runs, 67 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and an OPS of .806. He has recently been excluded from the first-team roster due to lower back pain. According to Sports Two I's WAR (Wins Above Replacement), Shin Min-jae leads all second basemen with 4.00, surpassing Park Min-woo (3.10).

Shin Min-jae faced challenges early in the season. In April, his batting average was a low .141 (9 hits in 64 at-bats). As his season average dropped to .191 by early May, manager Yeom Kyung-yup eventually sent him to the second team to regroup.

He was instructed to focus solely on batting training to regain his hitting balance. Shin Min-jae said, "I trained batting for five hours a day at Ichon (the second team training facility). I ate, hit, slept, woke up, and hit again -- repeating this every day."

Last year, Shin Min-jae had a .297 batting average (115 hits in 387 at-bats). If he had gotten just one more hit, he would have exactly reached a .300 average. At the time, he said, "Rather than barely achieving a .300 average, I prefer comfortably recording over .310," expressing his thoughts on the .300 average.

This season, his first career .300 batting average seems achievable without difficulty.

Shin Min-jae rises to league's top second baseman after slow start