Rookie catcher Kim Bum-seok (19-LG) was touted by LG Twins manager Cha Myung-seok as “synonymous with Korean baseball”. His development plan has been revealed.
Kim Bum-seok was named to the first team roster for the first time on March 3 against Jamsil NC. He made his professional debut as soon as he was added to the first team roster. Kim Bum-seok made his first at-bat for the first team as a pinch-hitter for Lee Ju-hyung in the sixth inning with runners on first and second base. He faced NC pitcher Kim Young-kyu and grounded out to shortstop on two pitches. In the ninth inning, he batted leadoff and faced NC pitcher Lim Jung-ho, who grounded out to third base on six pitches on a 1-2 count.
Although he was silent with a two-hit shutout, the commander saw the positive. “The way he handled himself at the plate and the way he swung, I saw enough potential,” LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop told reporters before the Jamsil NC game on April 4.
Kim Bum-seok is being touted as the next big thing in Korean baseball. He played in 25 games in the National High School Baseball League last year, batting .337 (28-for-83) with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, 24 doubles, and a 1.227 OPS. He was the starting catcher for Gyeongnam High School, where he led the team to the Golden Lion Tournament title, and batted fourth for the U-18 national baseball team.
LG selected Kim with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the KBO League First-Year Player Draft held last September. At the draft, 메이저사이트 Cha publicly expressed his excitement, saying, “The proper name Kim Bum-seok will become synonymous with Korean baseball.” Based on his performance in high school, Kim won the 2022 Amateur Star Award and the Lee Man-soo Home Run Award last year.
He started this season in the second team. He performed well in the Futures League. In 34 games, he batted .376 (109-for-41) with 10 doubles, six home runs, 24 RBI, 13 runs scored, nine walks, 19 strikeouts, a .633 on-base percentage and a .439 slugging percentage. His batting average was second in the entire Futures League, his home runs were third, and his RBIs were tied for fourth.
LG has a veteran catcher in Park Dong-won and a veteran catcher in Heo Do-hwan. Kim Ki-yeon has been a steady backup catcher for Park. In addition, Kim Bum-seok has been called up and is gaining experience in the first team. LG currently has three catchers on the first team roster: Park Dong-won, Heo Do-hwan, and Kim Bum-seok. Will we see more of Kim Bum-seok this season?
In response, Yeom said, “First of all, (Kim) Bum-seok can see next year as his main season. We’re working on a plan that starts now and continues through the final camp and into spring camp so that he can play in the first team next year. It’s the goal of my coaching staff to make him a player we can develop. I will work on my fundamentals with Coach Park Kyung-wan on defense and Coach Lee Ho-joon on hitting.”
Kim Hyun-soo has been in a slump lately and will be rested for the midweek game. The other batsmen will also rotate on the bench to ensure their fitness. Kim Bum-seok is expected to get more playing time in the six-game series against Kiwoom (Gochuk) and Hanwha (Daejeon) this week.
“Our goal is to create a player who can enter the first team roster next year,” said Yeom. This is a time to experience everything. Next year is the official season. It’s up to the coaching staff to see what kind of results they can produce. If (Kim) Bum-seok grows up, our team will have more cards. In that case, Park Dong-won can go in as a designated hitter or take a break. It will increase the number of right-handed hitters. I want to grow him to that level, and he has that kind of talent. I’ve seen him grow quickly in practice. He’s still not good enough, but I feel like he’ll reach a certain level if I ask him to.”
