Shall we see the effect of improving our constitution?
Except for the combined championships in 2009 and 2017, KIA has a painful history with not so many seasons that have crossed the threshold of the postseason in the 2010s. Rebuilding and constitutional improvement did not happen naturally. So, the year 2022, when it entered the postseason after 4 years, had its own meaning.
After replacing the president, general manager, and manager, they invested a whopping 25.3 billion won to recruit free agents Na Seong-beom and Yang Hyeon-jong. If you add up to 1 billion won in Park Dong-won’s trade money, you have poured an astronomical amount of 26.3 billion won. They obviously took the lead in KIA’s return to the postseason. However, with their joining, there was no clear synergy in each part.
In order to become a “sustainable strong team” that coach Kim Jong-guk has consistently proclaimed after taking office, it is ideal for new faces to form a healthy competitive structure while S-class free agents build pillars. That way, you can balance your grades and future to some extent. KBO league history tells.
In that respect, KIA is discovering quite a few new faces from Tucson and Okinawa spring camps to demonstration games. In the other lineup, Byeon Woo-hyeok, a transfer student and a big gun prospect, flutters with a batting average of 0.429. Byun Woo-hyuk changed the topography of KIA’s first and third bases. Kim Kyu-seong also has a batting average of 0.333, showing signs of resolving batting concerns. Although it is not a new face, it is expected that KIA will actually enjoy the effect of strengthening its power in that it is likely to rise as a first-team main backup starting this season.
The mound is great. The secret to the team’s ERA of 2.57, which ranks first, is thanks to the progress of new faces. Kwak Do-gyu, a rookie left-handed submarine, has an ERA of zero in four games. He is an arm taller than another left-handed sub, Kim Dae-yoo, but lower than the orthodox three-quarters. It is a pitch trajectory that has never been seen before스포츠토토. Second-year Choi Ji-min, who was not a first-team player last year, is showing signs of joining the winning group this year with an average ERA of 1.59 in four games. Rookie Yoon Yeong-chul did not give up a single point in 2 games and is ahead of the competition in the 5th start. Kim Ki-hoon and Kim Dae-yu slow down slightly, but in other words, the only thing left to do is to pick up the pace. Another left-hander, Kim Yu-shin, who joined in 2018, also has an ERA of zero in three games.
KIA was not active in discovering new faces when it was a former manager. During the days of former manager Kim Ki-tae, the team itself was centered on veterans. However, in recent years, he has been unable to make it to the postseason, and has consistently gathered good resources through the draft. And it has been well managed, and there is a possibility that it will explode all at once starting this season.
Excitement is dangerous Among the new faces mentioned above, there is no player who has solidly built up his average in the first team for more than 2-3 years. Everything looks good when the pace is good, but no one knows what will happen once the season opens and analysis begins.
What is clear though is that the pillars are still firm. Na Seong-beom has not yet appeared in the demonstration game due to minor injuries, but will make his condition suitable for the regular season. Hyeonjong Yang is Hyeonjong Yang. There are also mental supporters such as Choi Hyeong-woo and Kim Sun-bin. Triple J is still in the bullpen. Hyunsik Jang will safely join in May. It is highly likely that they will fill the instability of new faces.
It is very important for KIA to go to the postseason again this year. The term of the current president-general-supervisor system is three years. It is also true that there is a burden to produce results that exceed expectations this year, the second year. Just like last year, it is an atmosphere that cannot be satisfied with advancing to the postseason.
But more importantly, as coach Kim said, it is to lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable team. Large, special investments of 26.3 billion won cannot be made every year anyway. In that respect, KIA’s moves last winter and spring are rather encouraging on a macro level. There are signs of physical improvement.