Will Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), who overcame difficulties and became the league's best star, continue to play in the new year.안전놀이터
2024 was literally the year of Kim Do-young. Kim had 189 hits in 544 at-bats for 141 games, with a batting average of 0.347 with 38 homers, 109 RBIs, 143 runs, and 1.067 on-base plus slugging (OPS). Kim also ranked high in various personal indicators such as slugging percentage, scoring (first place), home run (second place), batting average, most hits (third place) and stealing (sixth place). He displayed stable defense in the Korean Series against the Samsung Lions, contributing to the overall team's win.
Kim Do-young, who played as the Premier 12 of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in November last year, was busier than ever before at the end of the year. She won the KBO regular season MVP, Golden Glove third baseman, and swept awards at various award ceremonies.
Kim also had a hard time. She finished her debut season in 2022 with a batting average of 0.237, three homers, 19 RBIs and an OPS of 0.674. She had difficulty targeting pitchers' balls early in the season.
In 2023, he recorded a batting average of 0.303, seven homers, 47 RBIs and an OPS of 0.824, while recording 103 hits in 340 at-bats in 84 games. On April 2, 2023, he was injured during a baserunning play during an away game against SSG Landers. He was away for more than two months after being diagnosed with a fracture of his left metatarsal (fifth toe).
Kim's ordeal was not over. Kim suffered a finger injury in the final match against Japan at the Asian Baseball Championship in November that year. In the top of the 10th inning, he hit a ground ball to the shortstop with runners on the first and second bases with no outs, and injured his left thumb while trying headfirst sliding. The examination result showed that he needed rehabilitation for four months.
Due to the aftermath of his injury, he had difficulty preparing for the 2024 season. Despite his smooth recovery, he was unable to afford to engage in batting training early in the spring camp. In the first spring camp, he focused on defense. As a result, it was not easy for Kim to boost his batting pace compared to other players.
Since the beginning of the regular season, Kim has remained silent. During the month of March, she had four hits in 26 at-bats for a 0.154 RBI. Until the game against the Suwon KT Wiz on April 4, she had no home run in nine consecutive games. She also made mistakes in defense, leaving regret. She had to lose confidence.
The head coach had some expectations of Kim's poor performance. "Players usually go through weight training in December and batting training in January after an injury, but DOYOUNG took the bat in late February. I thought I would get lost in the beginning because I started an exhibition game without holding the bat for three months," KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said.
Kim Do-young, who recalled the situation at the time, said, "At the beginning of the season, there was a time when I had such a hard time that I couldn't see the older brothers' faces. My goal at the beginning of the season was to pass the day smoothly. I didn't want to do well, so I thought I wanted to live a safe life."
However, Kim did not get frustrated and got back on his feet. He became the first player to hit 10 homers and 10 steals per month in the KBO league, as he hit 10 homers and 14 steals in April alone. He maintained the trend after May, completing an all-time high season.
As I played in a healthy state physically and psychologically, my performance naturally followed. "I didn't have a desire for home runs, but it was amazing whenever I became the leader in home runs during the season. When I think about it now, I wonder how I hit so many home runs," he said.
A year ago, Kim started the season without having any greed for a record. He wanted to play more games than the previous two seasons. He went further, looking forward to his first full-time season after his debut. As a result, he has made his wish come true. Now, he is trying to fill in the gaps that he lacked in defense. Last year, Kim made 30 errors, the highest number in the league.
"I don't feel much pressure (for the 2025 season). Even if I fail to play 30-30, if the number of errors in defense decreases, I will be satisfied with that alone. Rather, I think I will play the game with a relaxed mind and focus only on defense. I want to cut the number of errors from 20," Kim said.