Kim Do-young (21), who is entering her third year of joining the league, is continuing her strides to become the MVP of the league. Kim Do-young, who vaguely showed off her qualifications to grow into a superstar in her second year after the first year of adaptation, has grown into the league’s hottest icon this year, exploding her potential.
In 119 games this season, Kim has posted a batting average of 0.342, 32 homers, 91 RBIs, 35 steals, 116 points, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.050. He has also made clear impact by joining the 30-homer and 30-homer club, being the youngest player and the smallest player in the history of the league, the first monthly 10 homers-10 steals or more in the history of the KBO League, and the natural hit for the cycle. If he votes for MVP at this point, he will likely receive overwhelming votes.
However, Yoon Do-hyun (21), who Kim does not spare “compliments,” is suffering from injury in 2024. Kim and Yoon are the same age as each other born in 2003. Kim graduated from Gwangju Dongseong High School and Yoon graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School. They competed for the best infielders in Gwangju from their childhood, and were designated by KIA in 2022. It is because Kim Do-young (first designation) attracted so much attention that she was also a top-ranked player in the second round (15th overall).
Kim, who has seen Yoon’s batting talent since his childhood, is waiting for his colleague and friend, guaranteeing that he can sufficiently succeed in the first division. Yoon also seemed to be following Kim this year. He displayed remarkable skills at the Australian and Okinawa camps. He was held back by the shackles of injury in the first two years, but Yoon’s batting talent, which did not hurt, was recognizable to everyone. Notably, he garnered hope from KIA fans by displaying strong batting performance at practice games in Okinawa.
In addition, he had the advantage of being able to play multiple positions. Unlike his image as an offensive player, Yoon said, “I am confident in defense.” However, he failed to participate in many games this year due to his injury. He has been suffering from depression again and again after getting injured while playing games and repeated rehabilitation activities. No matter how talented he is, it is meaningless if he cannot play. 토토사이트
After recovering from his injury, Yoon has recently started playing in the Futures League (second division). Although he had minor injuries after being listed in the Futures League lineup in early August, he has been steadily listed in the starting lineup in recent years. Although his performance is not so good, he is certainly an important resource in the first division as well. As he showed good performance in the Okinawa camp, the coaching staff of the first division still has high expectations on him.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho also did not forget Yoon’s name. However, Yoon’s sense of touch is not perfect right now, and the first-tier infield is set to a certain extent. There are no seats left. Therefore, the expansion of the entry will start from September 1. From the same day, 10 KBO League teams are allowed to register five additional players. The registration system is 33 players in total. Lee also left room for a test on Yoon during the period.
Lee did not set a specific time but said, “I will try to upload it when the entry is expanded.” Still, it can be assumed that Lee will have an opportunity to play in the first division before the end of the regular season. “I have to come to the first division and try out foreign players’ balls and experience various situations. You might think that it is not easy to play in the first division,” Lee said.
For now, players who have played so far have no choice but to go first this year. Yoon is just an unverified prospect in the first team. However, if he experiences various situations in the first team before the end of this year and takes the opportunity to find complementary points, this can be the foundation for his growth. Being in the second team continuously, and having experience in the first team and finishing the season is a big difference in preparation for next year. With the timing of the call-up depends on Yoon’s performance in the Futures League, attention is focusing on whether Lee and KIA fans will be able to complete the picture.
