“I expect about 12 to 16 weeks from surgery to competition.”
KIA ‘Super 2nd year’ Kim Do-young was actually declared 메이저사이트out for the first half. On the 2nd, Doyoung Kim injured his foot while digging home on a double that passed the height of Daein Hwang, the right fielder of the Incheon SSG match. Left metatarsal fracture. He was hospitalized on the 3rd, had surgery on the 4th, and was discharged on the 5th to enter rehabilitation. He can’t play for 3-4 months, so it can be said that he won’t be able to come back in the first half.
In August of last year, Kim Do-young was also sidelined for about a month due to a palm injury. Compared to that time, this injury is much bigger. KIA’s ambition to raise Kim Do-young to a full-time starter in the first team this year and develop it into a leading hitter has also come to nothing.
Even without Kim Do-young, he has to play baseball. KIA needs to fill the vacancy of third base and table setter right away. In the case of third base, “multi-man” Ryu Ji-hyeok (29) naturally comes to mind. Ryu Ji-hyuk started as a backup for Kim Do-young and Park Chan-ho in the 2022 season, but after Kim Do-young’s sluggish performance in April, he took over as the starting third baseman.
I didn’t get enough at-bats during spring camp practice games and demonstration games. It’s probably because I gave Kim Doyoung a chance first. 5 hits in 25 at-bats, 0.200 batting average, 3 RBIs, 3 runs scored in 10 demonstration games. However, it is certain that he is a player who will do his part if he is given enough opportunities to play as an offensive and defensive multi-fielder. In the opening two consecutive matches against SSG on the 1st and 2nd, he recorded 1 hit and 1 walk in 2 at-bats.
Ryu Ji-hyeok is not the only one. There is another multi-man, Kim Kyu-seong, whose hitting has improved significantly in the Australian professional baseball Geelong Korea. Like Ryu Ji-hyeok, Kim Kyu-seong can play all positions in the infield. In 12 exhibition games, he was good with 5 hits in 18 at-bats, a batting average of 0.278, 1 home run, 3 RBIs and 5 runs. In addition, there is another infield backup Hong Jong-pyo.
If coach Kim Jong-guk envisions a lineup that puts an emphasis on batting, Byun Woo-hyuk can be placed at third base. Byun Woo-hyuk was a third baseman in Hanwha, and it seemed that he would compete for third baseman in the KIA from the beginning. It is evaluated that his defensive power is somewhat unstable, but coach Kim Jong-guk has judged Byun Woo-hyuk’s basic defensive skills to be not bad. By placing Byun Woo-hyeok at third base, Hwang Dae-in can be consistently placed at first base.
In the case of the table setter, Choi Won-joon can be combined with Park Chan-ho when he returns from the military in June. However, until Choi Won-jun returns, there is a possibility that several players will enter like the 2022 season. From veteran Kim Seon-bin to outfielder Lee Chang-jin who hit 30% last year.
Missing Kim Do-young is fatal to KIA in many ways. But it could be an opportunity for other players. KIA focused on strengthening fielding depth through spring camp and demonstration games. There were also real results. From now on without Kim Doyoung, we have to show the power of Plan B.