One of the biggest hits this season for the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) has been Kim “Bumbao” Bum-seok, 20. After being called up to the first team in mid-April, the big batting prospect showed off his hitting talent and gave the LG bats a new lease on life. Moving between designated hitter, catcher, and first base, he batted 2-for-9 (28-for-94) with five home runs, 19 RBIs, and an .844 OPS in 32 games through May.
Since June, however, he has slowed down, going 2-for-3 with no home runs, six RBIs and a .608 OPS in 11 games, and has spent more time on the bench. He missed 15 of the team’s 26 games since June before being removed from the first team roster on March 3.
Kim started in the No. 7 spot against Gochuk Kiwoom on Feb. 2 but was removed after striking out in two consecutive at-bats and was sent down to the second team the next day. By the 12th, he was batting .318 (7-for-18) with one home run and eight RBIs in five games in the Futures League.
Ten days later, Kim was reinstated to the first team roster on the 13th against Daejeon Hanwha. LG, which had slumped to fourth place after losing four straight games to start the second half of the season, needed Kim to put pressure on opponents with his mere presence at the plate.
However,
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop did not rush Kim into the first team. “We’ll see a little bit more. There is no set date. He can’t continue to play in the first team. He can continue to play in the second team, so he needs to play more and get a sense of the game.”
With catcher Park Dong-won, first baseman Austin Dean, and designated hitter Kim Hyun-soo, there’s not much room for Kim to play regularly. When he’s hitting well, 카지노사이트 추천 he can be used as a pinch-hitter, but when he’s not, it’s not good for his development to keep him in the first team.
“Right now, Bum-seok is not a solid starter. In the first team, you have to play in and out of the game, but a young player needs to basically play more than 350 at-bats a year to grow. It’s more efficient for him to grow if he experiences both the first and second teams and gains hitting experience. That’s what we’re trying to create.” Kim had 134 at-bats in 43 games for the first team and 62 at-bats in 15 games for the second team this year, totaling 196 at-bats in 58 games.
“You don’t just develop players. There should be a manual on how to develop them. It’s not just about having him in the first team. We don’t want Bum-seok to perform right now. The best way for him to gain the most at this time is to keep playing. Only then can he become a player who can lead the LG Twins’ performance in the near future.”
Being on the first team isn’t the only way to develop a player.
For a young player, consistent playing time is the best way to grow. Since LG plans to develop Kim as a catcher in the long run, they couldn’t just keep him in the first team based on his hitting. After being sent down to the second team, Kim played four of the seven games as the starting catcher.
“In the next three years or so, Bum-seok should be the starting catcher. (Park) Dong-won will be at the end of his free agency contract. Even if we get another Dong-won, it will be much better for the team if Bum-seok’s catching percentage goes up. By then, Dong-won will be older, and even if he plays two or three games a week at catcher, it will be a big plus for the team. Until then, it’s one of the things I have to do for LG whether I’m on the team or not,” he emphasized.
Kim had a two-game hitting streak, including a home run, against Doosan in the Futures League on April 13-14. After being demoted to the second team, he exploded in the Futures League, batting .346 (9-for-26) with two home runs and 10 RBIs in seven games. Yoon sees Kim as one of the players who could move up from the second team sooner rather than later. As he has regained his feel for the game in the field, he could be called up to the first team in the near future.
