SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jae-gyun Hwang knew all last year that he would leave Lotte Giants in Korea to pursue his dream in the major leagues. He used his final season there to work on raising his on-base percentage and cutting down his strikeouts.
Those weren’t the only adjustments that concerned him.
His ostentatious bat flips that accompanied home runs? And those long, pondering poses as he watches the full arc of the ball in flight? His American teammates let him know: they can be hazardous to a hitter’s health here.
“When I told him he really would have to stop, he initially didn’t think it was possible,” said Hwang’s agent, Han Lee, as his client reported to San Francisco Giants camp on Thursday.