Jack of All Trades: Ji-Hwan Bae’s Versatility Has Shined in Breakout Season
September 14, 2022 – International League (IL) – Indianapolis Indians News Release
Explosive, scrappy and speedy with a hint of power is how one could describe Ji-Hwan Bae. The Indians’ utilityman has experienced a breakout season in Triple-A and later this month or early next year, may find himself sporting the Black and Gold.
Bae entered the 2022 season as Pittsburgh’s No. 17 prospect by MLB Pipeline and ascended to No. 11 in its latest rankings. Indy’s jack of all trades has brought a spark to the everyday lineup while flashing game-changing speed, versatility to play anywhere on the field and power to both alleys.
“For me as a utility player, I want to be able to play every position effectively,” Bae emphasized.
The 23-year-old has done just that, playing five positions in the field: second base (55 games/51 starts), third base (1 game), shortstop (21 games/17 starts), left field (8 starts) and center field (18 games/17 starts).
“I have seen the whole process [with Bae], and I’m very proud of him on where he has come defensively and offensively,” explained Indians’ skipper Miguel Perez. “He is an electric player, and he has the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball.”
Defensively is where Bae has made his biggest improvements this season. As an incoming prospect from Daegu, South Korea, he was known as a middle infielder. Last season with Double-A Altoona, Bae made the adjustment to playing outfield – making nine starts in center field.
“His biggest improvement has come defensively; he can now make smooth transitions from playing infield one day to playing the outfield during another,” Perez said. “Last year, he had faced the learning curve of adjusting to playing both infield and outfield.”
Not to mention his ability to create pressure on opposing defenses at the plate. Bae holds exceptional abilities to hit for contact and spray the ball around the park with his gap-to-gap pop, while also driving the ball over the fence if the pitcher makes a mistake. Through 101 games with Indy, the lefty is hitting .295 (116-for-393) – seventh among International League qualifiers- with 20 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 52 RBI.
The speedster rounds out his game with 27 stolen bases in 35 attempts, making him a base-stealing threat at any moment. His 27 thefts are the most by an Indians player since Kevin Newman stole 28 bags in 2018.
“I want to be good at everything, stealing bases, play whichever positions I’m assigned,” Bae said.
From April 27 through June 1, Bae had a career-best on-base streak of 28 games. The 28-gamer is tied for the eighth-longest on-base streak in the International League this season. During the stretch, he earned Indy’s May Player of the Month honors after hitting safely in 19 of 24 games with a .322 batting average (29-for-90) and .983 OPS.
Prior to an injury that sidelined him for 22 games from July 25 through Aug. 17, Bae’s name littered IL leaderboards.
When he returned to Indy’s lineup on Aug. 18, it was business as usual. He hit safely in 12 of his first 13 games, good for a .314 average (16-for-51) with a double, two triples and 10 RBI.
The game of baseball started only as a hobby for Bae when he was 10 years old. Now, that hobby has him on the cusp of the big leagues.
“After grinding for years, it will be satisfying to make a dream come true and get called up to the big leagues.”
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