When the Kia Tigers signed Kim Do-young (20) last year, it was a big question as to how they would utilize him.

After dominating the high school scene, Kim was labeled as a “five-tool player” and “the second coming of Lee Jong-beom.” He seemed to have everything: quick feet, great hitting ability, and defense. He was considered to be the future of KIA, and how the team would utilize him was a matter of interest not only around KIA but also in the KBO league.

Kim Do-young is in his second season. After being sidelined with an injury on the opening two days, he returned to the first team by the end of the first half. He quickly recovered and used his youth as an advantage to get back on track. With Kim’s return in sight, the spotlight once again turned to KIA’s “how to use Kim Do-young” strategy. In addition to the shortstop position, which was his main position in high school, he also played third base in his debut season in the first team, and second base during the Futures (second team) practice check.

KIA manager Kim Jong-guk deployed Kim Do-young at third base after his call-up to the first team. Park Chan-ho took over the shortstop position, and Ryu Ji-hyuk, who had been playing both first and third base, was moved to second base to replace the recently injured Kim Sun-bin. At one point, Kim Do-young was cautiously expected to play second base, but he opted to start at third base, where he has experience in the first team.

Kim Do-young’s defense at third base. It was far from perfect. That was the case on the 27th, when he failed to handle a hard-hit ball that led to two runs. Kim admits it. “When I watched the video after the game and talked to the coaches, I was able to find the problem right away. My defensive position was bound to create a lot of ambiguous bounds. I didn’t get off to a good start when it came to batted balls,” Kim said. “I think I’m still struggling to handle big balls like yesterday.”

Does he have any desire to play shortstop, the position he played best in high school? Kim immediately shook his head, saying, “I don’t have any aspirations.” “A lot of people tell me, ‘You can be successful at third base,'” he said. I’m not in a position to say where I want to play,” he said, emphasizing that his goal is to settle into the position given to him by the team and utilize his strengths.

When learning a new position, it’s natural to look to veterans and big players who have been there and done that as role models. When asked to name a big leaguer as a role model, Kim laughed and said, “I can’t afford to do that yet,” before adding, “I look up to Choi Jung (SSG Landers) and Hwang Jae-gyun (KT Wiz). There are a lot of good seniors in Korea who have played third base and even played for the national team.”카지노

The future of the Tigers is filled with talent, but they are also rookies who still have a lot to work on and grow. First and foremost, he needs to contribute to the team’s success. Kim’s eyes are also on the team.