Kim Bum-seok, 19, a big-league catching prospect for the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), has been realizing his hitting potential in his second year.
Commentators such as Lee Soon-cheol, Park Jae-hong, Park Yong-taek, and other legends have praised Kim’s hitting talent. Manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said that he plans to play Kim consistently in the future, and that he expects him to “win the Rookie of the Year.”
Kim Bum-seok made his presence felt in last weekend’s game against KIA, hitting long ball after long ball at crucial moments.
In the top of the fourth inning against KIA, trailing 2-3, Kim Bum-seok launched a come-from-behind two-run home run over the left field fence off KIA starter Hwang Dong-ha. The home run proved to be the game-winner in LG’s 6-3 victory.
Kim, who struck out in the first inning after swinging wildly at Hwang’s slider, was not fooled by a 1-2 slider in the fourth inning. “I swung at a bad pitch in the first inning, so I thought a changeup was coming, and I thought I could hit it well if I waited for it, so I waited for it. In the second pitch, I thought a fastball was coming, so I waited and swung at it confidently,” he said. At such a young age, Kim’s reading comprehension is also not exceptional.
With the bases loaded and the score 3-5, Kim Bum-seok drove a 150-kilometer fastball from KIA starter Crowe into the right-field seats for a walk-off three-run double.
On the 28th against KIA,
“The hitting point was obviously late, but he had a good swing and good pushing power, so it was a nice hit to the right field line,” said Park Jae-hong, a commentator who broadcast the game. Kim Bum-seok struck out in the second inning when Crowe threw him four consecutive sliders. 바카라사이트 In the fourth inning, he hit a slider followed by three consecutive curveballs for a single to center field, and in the fifth inning, when Crowe threw him a fastball, he crushed it for a long hit.
Kim Bum-seok made his first start of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against SSG on April 21. With the bases loaded in the seventh inning and LG trailing 6-8, Kim crushed a low slider from SSG veteran Noh Kyung-eun over the right-field fence for the game-winning home run.
Commentator Lee Soon-cheol said of Kim, “He has a very smooth swing. He’s a little bit like Lee Dae-ho, just with a height difference,” Lee said, adding, ‘If he can overcome his body, he doesn’t have to worry about the weight issue.’
In his first at-bat of the second game of the SSG doubleheader, Kim Bum-seok took a pitch from left-hander Oh Won-seok and smashed it to center field. Commentator Lee Soon-cheol said, “It’s a great technique. His timing was a little late, but he placed one hand in advance and centered the bat at the right time. He has an instantaneous sense of hitting,” Lee praised. “With that kind of hitting technique, if he continues to play consistently, he has a very high chance of hitting much better,” he said.
Recently, commentator Park Yong-taek also commented, “Personally, I think that Kim Bum-seok will be amazing after 500 at-bats.”
Kim hit 10 home runs as a junior at Gyeongnam High School
Setting a new record for the most home runs in a season since he began using wooden bats in high school competitions. He was selected by LG in the first round (No. 7) of the 2023 rookie draft. “The proper name Kim Bum-seok will become synonymous with Korean baseball,” said Cha Myung-seok, the team’s general manager.
Kim, a catcher, was rehabbing his shoulder last year and only appeared in 10 games for the first team at the end of the season, batting 1-for-1 (3-for-27) with one home run. Manager Yoon Kyung-yup included Kim in the Korean Series roster to give him some big-game experience. He pinch-hit in Game 4 and went 1-for-1.
Heading into the season, Yim had mentioned that he planned to give Kim a chance as a full-time backup catcher in the first team. However, he suffered an adductor injury in spring training and was sent home halfway through the season. Yim criticized Kim for failing to lose weight. Kim worked his way back into shape in the rehabilitation program and joined the first team on April 12. He had two hits and two RBIs in three pinch-hitting opportunities and has been given the opportunity to start eight consecutive games, starting with the SSG doubleheader on Nov. 21.
In 11 games this season,
Kim is batting .405 (12-for-34) with two home runs, 12 RBIs, four runs scored, a .405 on-base percentage, a .588 slugging percentage and a .993 OPS. He has also shown great clutch ability, going 4-for-4 with runners in scoring position (9-for-10) with 10 RBI, one home run and two doubles.
“Right now, he’s playing designated hitter, and in a little while, he’ll be playing catcher,” said Yeom, adding, “He can win the Rookie of the Year.” Hwang Jun-seo (Hanwha), Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan), and Jeon Mir (Lotte) are the top three rookies in this year’s Rookie of the Year race. Kim Bum-seok, who played fewer games and had fewer at-bats last year, is also eligible for Rookie of the Year.
Kim has been batting in the No. 3 and No. 5 center field spots recently and has been performing well. 사설 토토사이트 “I used him at No. 3 because the (main) players were missing. Bum-seok’s best batting order is around No. 7. It’s good for him and good for the team. If he can’t hit at No. 7, he’s less likely to be criticized by fans,” he said, referring to the development of young hitters.
He mentioned how LG tried to develop Park Byung-ho as a No. 4 hitter in the past, but failed because they kept him at No. 4 even though he couldn’t hit. “There are a lot of important situations at No. 4. If we had kept Park Byung-ho at No. 8, we would have been much more successful,” Yoon said.