"There's nothing I can't do, and I'm confident..." Korea's First Record, Why Is Kim Do-young Indifferent
"There's nothing I can't do, and I'm confident..." Korea's First Record, Why Is Kim Do-young Indifferent
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I don't think I can do it, I'm confident, but I still think I'll play without thinking about it."
Kia Tigers pitcher Kim Do-young said flatly, "I will not run with the goal of 40 homers and 40 steals in the new season." 40 homers and 40 steals is a milestone that no Korean player has achieved in the history of the KBO. NC Dinos' Eric Thames became the first foreign player to hit 47 homers and 40 steals in the history of the KBO in 2015.
Due to a lack of just two homers, Kim failed to reach the 40-homer club last year. He had to be satisfied with joining the 30-homer club as the youngest player in the history of the club with 38 homers and 40 steals. Although he failed to achieve the milestone, Kim had a batting average of 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats), 109 RBIs, 143 runs scored, and 1.067 OPS, and won the MVP award. It was a remarkable achievement made during the first full-time season.메이저사이트
Naturally, many people mention 40 home runs and 40 steals as Kim Do-young's new goal this year. This is because it is a milestone for a player who already peaked last year as MVP to challenge himself.
"I have no goal to steal 40 home runs or 40 steals," Kim said, but added, "I don't think I can do that. I have confidence, but I think I will still play without thinking (40-40)." It was Kim's response.
Of course, Kim is the centerpiece of Kia's batting lineup this year as well. Early on, Kia coach Lee Bum-ho confirmed Kim as the third batter. The rest of the central batters will be Na Sung-bum, Choi Hyung-woo, and Patrick Wizdom, who are in good condition, in line with the opening of the game.
"Kim is considering the third hitter for now. I think the team is the strongest in terms of strategy, quick feet, and placing him at No. 3 in every way. I will decide which player will be a little better and who will be in better condition in the second batting order," Lee said. "I think the core batting lineup has a framework to a certain extent. Since we have players who can hit the .300 mark, we will happily consider (the batting order)."
Kim Do-young said, "Recently, I saw a fan write down the expected lineup, and I thought there was no real batting order. I think we should train with pride and responsibility. If Wizdom (a new foreign hitter) plays his role enough, our team will be able to consistently perform well to a higher level."
KIA gave special treatment to Kim Do-young, expecting him to grow further using his performance as a stepping stone last year. Kim Do-young signed a new salary this year for 500 million won, up 400 million won from last season's 100 million won. It is the highest ever in his fourth year as a professional, far exceeding the 390 million won recorded by Kiwoom Heroes Lee Jung-hoo (currently San Francisco Giants) in 2020. The 400% increase rate was also the highest ever in the team.
Kim Do-young said, "I feel no pressure to improve this year compared to last year, which was an incredible season. However, I feel responsibility to grow into a player worthy of special treatment. Even without setting a separate goal of hitting 40 home runs and 40 steals, I believe that it is a record that I naturally followed if I fulfill my responsibilities on the ground.
"I think I did a lot better (off-season sports) than last year," Kim said. "I did a lot of high-intensity training at the training center. If I have to pick just one goal, I just go to every game. I always set my goal full-time and play in every game if I have to pick one," Kim said.
Kim Do-young left for Irvine, U.S., the first spring camp training site, on the 23rd and is currently sweating. After the MVP season, he had a busy time in Korea besides training, but now he can prepare for the season by focusing only on training without any other schedule in the U.S.
Kim Do-young said, "Now that I can only concentrate on training, I think I'm going a little more comfortable. I think the most important thing is to build a body that can play as a full season. Since I'm training in a warmer country, I'll do a little more technical training."