Kim Do-young, a superstar who will pay attention to Eulsa-nyeon, said, "I forgot about 2024, I'll start again."
Kim Do-young, a superstar who will pay attention to Eulsa-nyeon, said, "I forgot about 2024, I'll start again."
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Kim Do-young (22, Kia Tigers) is by far the only professional baseball player or sports player to pay attention to in the 2025 乙巳 year.스포츠토토
Kim hit the 2024 KBO League, also known as the Year of the Blue Dragon. In his third year as a pro, he led his team to win the title and even lifted the MVP trophy of the regular season. "At this time a year ago, I had a hard time rehabilitating my injured finger at the Asian Baseball Championship," Kim told this newspaper after sweeping away the year-end award ceremony including the grand prize of Cho-A Pharmaceutical. "It was the opposite now. I'm so happy. I look forward to 2025."
Kim did not receive much attention when he started 2024. His name was followed by "waiting incomplete" when he joined the team through the first round of nominations in 2022. However, Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho, who highly evaluated the possibility, took the position of "full-time third baseman."
Kim Do-young rewarded Lee Bum-ho's trust with stellar performance. He played in 141 games last season, posting a batting average of 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats) with 38 homers and 109 RBIs. He ranks first in the league with an OPS of 1.067, which is the combination of on-base percentage (0.420) and slugging percentage (0.647). After joining the 30-30 (homer) club, which is the youngest and smallest game in history, he challenged for the 40 (homer)-40 (homer) club for the second time in nine years since Eric Thames (then of the NC Dinos) in 2015. He was literally a "hotajun."
Although he failed to reach the milestone due to lack of two homers, he has achieved record-breaking impact this 辰. "I think I forgot about my experience over the past two years (for the first time since joining the pro league)," Kim said. "I highly value that I played full time for the first time. I was able to achieve good results because I played full time (without any major injuries)." It may be physically challenging, but he said, "I didn't have much difficulty because I got used to it. The coaching staff including the manager set up a training schedule so that I could focus only on the game."
One of the driving forces behind Kim's awakening was the automatic ball-strike system (ABS). It was a good match with the robot referee, which was introduced for the first time in Korea. "It may vary for each batter, but I felt ABS positive," Kim said. "It was easy to set my own zone just because I thought (the referee's) was consistent. I think it was because of my good performance in the last season." The ABS zone in the 2025 KBO League will be slightly lowered. It requires another adaptation, but the big framework for determining strikes and balls by machines, not humans, will remain the same.
As he has spent the past year in history, expectations from people around him have grown significantly. "I don't think it's a burden at all. I think it's a way to become a star and take it for granted," Kim said. "Even before I joined the professional league, people around me said, 'Do you feel pressured?' but I have never felt that way. I think if you play full-time without getting hurt, you will get a good record."
"I had my fans engraved in my heart." "When I came into the dugout after scoring an outfield fly ball at the last game (against the Gwangju NC Dinos on Sept. 30), I was so touched to see him standing up and applauding (even though he failed to break the record)," he said. "As a sports player, every single one of those things motivated me. I was so touched and grateful."
Kim also had a hard blow at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 that took place after the last season. He also received attention from Major League scouts during the competition. "I want to constantly hit .300 batting average as prescribed," Kim said after confirming his dream to play overseas. "I am preparing for full time. I forgot that I achieved some performance last year. I will start over."