Kim Do-young (21), who played an active role not only in the KBO league but also in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 tournament, is set to sweep away the year-end trophy. It is expected to be a busier winter than anyone else.
Kim has become a treasure of Korean baseball now. In her third year in the league, Kim displayed stellar performance in every game and led the team to a unified championship. This was not the end of her career. She also raged at the Premier 12 championships that took place after the season ended. She demonstrated her ability to play well on the international stage, not in a frog in a well. She played in all five group preliminary games held in Taiwan, and had a batting average of 0.412 (7 hits in 17 times at bat), three homers, 10 RBIs and one stolen base. It was no exaggeration to say that she has established herself as the undisputed third baseman.
Kim displayed his best performance this year. He played in 141 games this season and posted a batting average of 0.347 (189 hits in 544 times at bat), 38 homers, 109 RBIs, 143 runs and 40 steals (four failed attempts), and an on-base percentage of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.067. Although he fell short of two homers to achieve the 40-40 (homer) milestone for the first time as a Korean player, it is no exaggeration to say that he actually reserved the MVP for this season.
It was true that it took some time for Kim to burst his potential. After joining Kia through the first designation in 2022, Kim participated in 103 games with a batting average of 0.237, three homers, 19 RBIs, 37 runs batted in (on-base plus slugging) of 0.674. In the 2023 season, Kim recorded a better performance with seven homers, 47 RBIs, 72 runs scored, 25 steals, and OPS of 0.824. However, he only played in 84 games due to toe injury.
And this is his third year as a pro. Kim Do-young is in full bloom. In April, he became the first KBO league player to hit 10 home runs and 10 steals per month. This was just a prelude to Kim’s performance this season. Before the end of the first half, he hit 20 home runs and 20 steals. It was the fifth record in KBO history. 바카라사이트
Kim continued to display stellar performance. On July 23, he recorded hits, doubles, triples and homers in succession at the match against NC Dinosaurs in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, setting a new record of at least natural hit for the cycle (cycling heat). On Aug. 15, he became the youngest player ever to join the 30-30 homers club in the game against Kiwoom in Gocheok. He became the ninth player in the KBO league to record 30 homers and 30 steals. Kim, who is 20 years old, 10 months and 13 days old, has set a new record of becoming the youngest player to record 30 homers and 30 steals in a single game in the KBO league. On top of that, he set a new record of most goals scored in a single season about a week before the end of the season.
It is no exaggeration to say that Kim spent 2024 more hectic than anyone else. However, his time is not over yet. He still has various award ceremonies to celebrate. The Korea Professional Baseball Retirement Player Association (KBO) already announced on Tuesday that it selected Kim as the best player on the 2024 Korea Baseball Retirement Player Day. Unless something unexpected happens at the KBO award ceremony and Golden Glove hosted by the Korea Baseball Organization, Kim is expected to embrace the trophy. On top of this, he is also waiting for awards ceremonies by baseball-related organizations and media outlets including the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association.
“I think I’ve got homework that I need to fix and supplement in the future. It was a good opportunity,” Kim said after the Premier 12 tournament. “I always had a dream about the world stage. I always wondered how much I could communicate with them. I think that was an opportunity to find out.” Kim said, “I think I still lack a lot. I always have confidence, but I still lack a lot defensively. I only had easy hits this time, so I’m going to train a little more during the offseason.”
