There are at least four candidates for the fourth batter. Lee Beom-ho (44), manager of the Kia Tigers, is in a "happy dilemma."스포츠토토

Lee Bum-ho did not complete his plan for the opening game and headed to Okinawa, Japan, where the second spring camp was held. "It seems that people around us are interested in how we will form the batting order. We will have to decide the batting order during the second camp," said Lee after the first spring camp in Irvine, California. The team will have five practice games including the game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Japanese Professional Baseball Organization in Okinawa.

One of the concerns for Lee's batting order is No. 4. There are many candidates. The first thing that is being discussed is foreign hitter Patrick Wisdom (34). After the last season, Kia recruited Wisdom without renewing contract with Socrates Brito, a "long-lived foreign player" who has been with the team since 2022. Wisdom, who hit 88 home runs in the Major League Baseball, is a slugger who hit 20 or more home runs for three consecutive years starting in the 2021 season. Ordinary teams would choose to use Wisdom as No. 4 without hesitation, but not KIA.

Veteran players Choi Hyung-woo (42) and Na Sung-bum (36) can also serve as cleanup hitter. Both of them are sluggers representing the KBO League and have played in the central lineup. In terms of home runs, Choi has 395 (currently ranked third) and Na Sung-bum 272 (currently ranked fifth). They also share strong commonalities in opportunities. Before the first camp, Choi said, "The coach told me to play No. 4, but I hope he (Wizdom) does well and takes over No. 4." "The coach will take care of it," Na Sung-bum said, without paying much attention to batting order.

Kim Do-young (22), who won the MVP award in the KBO League last season, is also a "potential" hitter. Kim hit 38 home runs last year, ranking second in homers in the league after Matt Davidson (46) of the NC Dinos and No. 1 player in Korea. He is as good as a central hitter as he has dominated the game with the first slugging percentage (0.647). "I think the answer is to use Kim Do-young as No. 3," Lee Bum-ho, who announced Kim Do-young's batting order before the first camp, stressed again even after finishing the schedule. However, he added conditions such as "the first and second hitters should maintain good condition." This can be interpreted as meaning that Kim's batting order could change depending on the composition of the table setter.

In the center of Kia's batting lineup, left and right balance is ideal. There are two right-handed hitters (Kim Do-young and Wizdom) and two left-handed hitters (Choi Hyung-woo and Na Sung-bum). The team can build a so-called "zig-zag" lineup by alternately using right-handed and left-handed hitters depending on situations. "It is best for Wizdom to get hit No. 4 for balance," SBS Sports commentator Lee Soon-cheol said. "The Kia has enough players to make up for foreign hitters' poor performance." 

Yoon Hee-sang, KBSN Sports commentator, also said, "I think Wizdom is the best hitter at KIA. If Choi Hyung-woo and Na Sung-bum follow suit, the strongest clean-up trio in the league will be formed. There is nowhere for pitchers to avoid."