Kim Bum-seok (LG Twins), who has attracted attention as a “big shot prospect” even before joining the professional team, is showing off his presence at the beginning of the season.
As of the 29th, Kim Bum-seok has a batting average of 0.353 with two homers and 12 RBIs with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.993 in 11 games. The sample is not large, but in terms of the impact Kim Bum-suk has shown so far, he is not pushed back at all compared to any other player.
Kim Bum-suk’s presence was also evident in Game 6 of the season against the KIA Tigers of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 28th. Kim Bum-suk, who started as the fifth designated hitter on the day, achieved multi-hit in a week after the second game of the double header against the SSG Landers on the 21st with two hits, three RBIs and one run from five times at bat.
After striking out at his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, Kim recovered his regret at his second at-bat in the bottom of the fourth inning. With the ball count of two balls and one strike, he swung a slider from KIA starter Will Crow to get on base with a hit in the middle. With two outs and a runner on the first base, he sprinted to the third base when Park Dong-won hit a double.
After preheating, Kim hit a cool long hit in the bottom of the fifth inning when his team was losing 3-5. Taking the batter’s box with two outs and the bases loaded, Kim pushed the two-pitch double that came toward his body with one strike on the count of the ball, and the ball landed inside the right foul line. Meanwhile, third baseman Moon Sung-joo, second baseman Kim Hyun-soo, and first baseman Austin Dean came into the home one after another. When Kim arrived at the second base, he showed off his excitement by performing a ceremony. When Oh Ji-hwan, a follow-up batter, stepped on his home run and scored a point. 토토사이트
Thanks to Kim Bum-suk’s performance, LG scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning alone, but lost the game 7-10 after losing three consecutive innings from the top of the seventh inning. Kim had a rookie strikeout in the bottom of the seventh inning with no outs, and second baseman Choi Seung-min was tagged out at the third base while attempting to steal a base, which dampened LG’s willingness to pursue. In the end, Kim had to take advantage of the fact that he had produced two hits.
In fact, LG, which had been agonizing over how to utilize Kim Bum-suk throughout the last season, feels like it has solved a big task. “We can assume that (Kim) Bum-suk plays the role that (Kim) Min-sung (currently Lotte Giants) played last year. Since Bum-suk is in the first team, he can be rotated, give rest to (Moon) Sung-joo, and even if (Hong) Chang-ki is injured, he can play without much damage,” LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said.
“For now, Bum-suk is placed in the seventh batting order, which is the best batting order for now. It is good for both Bum-suk and the team. When you reach a certain level, you have to hit the center line. If you are struck out and you are sluggish, you could feel pressured and face criticism from your fans. (How you structure your batting order) is also a huge difference. That is how we operate.”
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho, who was known as a right-handed slugger representing the team and the league, also praised Kim Bum-suk’s potential.
“He has a simple swing compared to his physical size, and the polo-through is quite good behind his simplicity. From the start to the heating point, it seems quite short,” coach Lee Bum-ho said. “I think I have enough ability to become an excellent hitter in the future.”
“The swing itself was so good that I think LG created a good sense of No. 4 hitter,” Lee said. “(When I see Kim Bum-suk), I now feel that I have to be careful when I meet him during the regular season,” he warned.
