Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates), who is aiming to enter the roster for the Opening Day of the American Professional Baseball Major League, will leave Korea on the 10th.
Bae Ji-hwan’s agency, Universe 스포츠토토Sports Management, said on the 7th, “Bae Ji-hwan will leave Korea on the 10th after finishing his schedule in Korea. While in Korea, Bae Ji-hwan steadily prepared for the season with weight training, performance training, and Pilates, and also donated his talent. We also plan to make donations for single mother families.” Bae Ji-hwan will join the Pittsburgh Major League Spring Camp on the 21st.
Bae Ji-hwan, who graduated from Gyeongbuk High School in 2018 and signed a contract with Pittsburgh, went through Minor League Single A in 2019, Double A in 2021, and Triple A in 2022. On September 24 last year (Korean time), he started as the 9th hitter and second baseman in a game against the Chicago Cubs held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, becoming the 26th Korean big leaguer ever. Against the Cubs on September 25, he also reported his first extra-base hit (double) and an RBI.
Bae Ji-hwan played in 10 games in the big leagues last year, posting a batting average of 0.333 (11 hits in 33 at-bats), 6 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He played in 108 games in Triple-A last year, with a batting average of 0.289 (121 hits in 419 at-bats), 8 homers and 53 RBIs.