Kim Do-young, who was interviewed by MLB.COM, said, "Dreaming of perfection...Desire to participate in WBC"
Kim Do-young, who was interviewed by MLB.COM, said, "Dreaming of perfection...Desire to participate in WBC"
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The U.S., the home of baseball, is also paying attention to Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), a young hot hitter.토토사이트
MLB.COM, the official website of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), posted an interview with Kim Do-young on the 20th (Korea Standard Time).
The title of the article is "Korea's youngest 30-30 player dreaming of perfection."
"I am a person and a player who always strives for perfection. I try to be perfect in both baseball and life," Kim said in an interview with MLB.COM. "I may not be as perfect as Shohei Otani (Los Angeles Dodgers), but that is my goal. I want to be a good person who works well and gives positive energy."
Last season, in his third year as a professional, Kim Do-young ranked third in the batting average (0.347), second in homers (38), tied for seventh in RBIs (109), first in runs scored (143 points), first in slugging percentage (0.647), third in on-base percentage (0.420) and sixth in stolen bases (40).
Although it is not an official award record, Kim Do-young also ranked first with 1.067 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), which can confirm the competence of batters.
Kim Do-young, who achieved 30 home runs and 30 steals for the season at the age of 20 years, 10 months and 13 days, set the youngest record, advancing the previous record of 22 years, 11 months and 27 days of Park Jae-hong (Hyundai Unicorns in 1996).
In addition, he recorded 30 home runs and 30 steals in 111 games of the season, shortening Eric Thames' previous minimum game record (112 games) achieved by wearing the NC Dinos uniform in 2015.
Kim Do-young became the main character at all baseball awards ceremonies in 2024, including being named the regular season's Most Valuable Player.
MLB.COM detailed Kim Do-young's performance last season.
"I had never played full-time until last season," Kim said. "My most important goal was to enter the starting lineup, and I thought I should hit 0.300 or higher if I get a chance to play," Kim said. "I could hear people say, 'I knew you would do well, but I didn't expect it to go this fast.' I was personally satisfied last year, and I was happy to have the fruits at the year-end ceremony."
He added, "My parents are still surprised by my achievements."
Kim Do-young started playing baseball when she was in the second grade of elementary school. Her parents recommended her to play baseball when she saw her outgoing son.
"My parents forced me to play baseball," Kim said, before adding, "I joined the Little Baseball Team, and baseball was really fun. I liked Javier Bás when I was young and Fernando Tatis Jr. when I was in high school."
Kim Do-young, who was born with talent, became the best hitter in the KBO League in his third year as a professional. However, 30 errors, the most in the league last season, remained a stain.
"I had finger surgery in November 2023 and didn't have enough time to prepare for the 2024 season," Kim said. "I did systematic training this off-season and maintained my health. I want to show good defense this season as well."
He is not obsessed with 40 home runs and 40 steals, which he failed to achieve last year due to lack of two home runs.
"I don't think I'm the best," Kim Do-young said calmly. "My goal is to be a reliable starting player and to show steady performance," he said. "I believe I can achieve 40 home runs and 40 steals, but I don't aim for that record."
The dream of entering the MLB has not yet been brought out, saying, "I will play only for KIA until I become qualified."
However, he is eager to face the big leaguer at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March next year.
Kim Do-young caught the eye of MLB scouts by making seven hits (batting average 0.412) from 17 times at bat, three homers and 10 RBIs in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 in November last year. WBC, a bigger stage, can be a showcase to advance to the big leagues.
"Playing in the WBC is an important goal," Kim said. "Playing in the biggest stage is motivating me. I will try again to be able to participate in the WBC."