Seoul – Roh Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles is determined to bounce back from a slightly disappointing 2024 season and reclaim his spot as one of the KBO League's top sluggers. Despite hitting 24 home runs and posting an OPS over 0.8 last year, Roh felt his performance fell short of expectations after a stellar 2023 season where he led the league in home runs (31) and RBIs (101).

"I had such a good record the previous year, and all the expectations rose accordingly, but the results fell short of that," Roh admitted during spring training in Melbourne, Australia.

However, Roh isn't dwelling on the past. "Honestly, I didn't expect that level of performance in 2023 either," he said. "I don't think last year was a terrible season, and I haven't lost my confidence. I can do it again this year. It's okay."

Roh has been working hard in the offseason to improve his game, including a 10kg weight loss that has made him feel lighter and quicker at the plate. He also had the opportunity to train with his senior from Kyungnam High School, Lee Dae-ho, a KBO legend known for his prodigious power hitting.

"I trained with Lee Dae-ho two years ago, but I didn't last year," Roh explained. "He was busy, and I was busy attending awards ceremonies, so we couldn't find time to work out together. This year, Lee Dae-ho called me to Busan first, saying, 'Let's work out together again.' I hope to receive his good energy again this year."

Roh said that Lee Dae-ho's advice on the direction of his batted balls was particularly helpful. "Actually, the direction of my batted balls was really bad last year," Roh said. "I need to send a lot of batted balls from the left-middle to the right-middle direction, but I couldn't do that, so when I practiced, I just hit the ball thinking only about my form. He helped me a lot in that area."

After battling a shoulder injury last year, Roh's top priority for this season is to stay healthy and play a full season. He has his sights set on the home run king title, which he last held in 2023. With NC's Matt Davidson, who led the league with 46 home runs last season, Roh is considered one of the top domestic contenders for the crown.

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