Right-handed pitcher Kim Taek-yeon, who played as the ace of Incheon High School and the national team, is now moving to the professional stage.
Kim Taek-yeon was selected as the second overall pick after Jangchung High School’s Hwang Jun-seo (Hanwha Eagles) and will wear the Doosan Bears uniform in the 2024 KBO rookie draft held at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 14th.
Kim Taek-yeon is a pitcher with both command and pitch, and showed off his improved skills at the high school stage this year, recording 7 wins, 1 loss, and an average ERA of 1.13 in 13 games and 64 ⅓ innings. In particular, his overwhelming ability to strike out 97 batters was enough to leave a strong impression.
At this year’s World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Youth Baseball Championship (U-18 Baseball World Cup),카지노사이트 Kim Taek-yeon also showed off his powerful pitching, with 2 wins in 6 games, 16 innings, and an ERA of 0.88, striking out as many as 29 times. However, the schedule was somewhat tight as he was on the mound for all 5 days, and some criticized the appointment of Kim Taek-yeon as being too hard on a young pitcher.
Kim Taek-yeon, who met with reporters after the draft ended, said, “I went home and rested well and almost completely recovered. I’m fine. I threw well in the bronze medal game against the United States and my teammates helped me well, so I returned home after winning the bronze medal.” “It’s the most memorable,” he said of his thoughts after finishing the U-18 tournament.
He continued, “I heard (that I was overdoing it), but the manager, coach, and trainer always took good care of me and asked me how I was doing. If I felt like I couldn’t pitch, I always told them right away, and if there was even a little bit of overdoing it, I told them to tell me. “I didn’t feel like I was overdoing it when I threw, so I tried to throw as hard as I could, and since I was representing the Republic of Korea, I tried to throw hard,” he said, recalling the competition.
Kim Taek-yeon, whose name became more known after the tournament, early on raised a lot of expectations among Doosan fans, and the Doosan team even brought out a uniform with Kim Taek-yeon’s name engraved on it at the event in advance. Although his uniform number has not been confirmed, the number ‘2024’, the year of his entry, was included on the uniform.
Kim Taek-yeon, who wore a uniform with his name written on it at the draft site, said, “When I first put it on, I thought it looked good on me. I was happy because everyone, including the kids, said it looked great on them. I didn’t even know if they would engrave my name on it, but this is it.” “I am so grateful to the club for caring about me, and I am touched that they thought of me and made uniforms. I will work harder to live up to expectations,” he said.
What kind of image did Taekyeon Kim have of the Doosan team he watched from the outside? He said, “This is a team that is very good at baseball, and I know it that way. Whenever I look at the postseason or the Korean Series, a team called Doosan is always on (the series), and that’s why I hope to be able to play starting next year so that I can be included as a member.” “I want to prepare well for this, and I think I need to prepare well so that I can fit in well with the team,” he said.
Doosan general manager Kim Tae-ryong mentioned the word ‘stopper’ while explaining the background of Kim Taek-yeon’s nomination. What do Kim Taek-yeon think? He said, “I always thought about being a relief pitcher, and when I went to Taiwan this time, there was no problem when I threw for a long time. I am basically confident in stamina and other aspects. I am confident in all the positions that (the club) assigns me.” “My goal is to become a representative player and a star player, so since you said so, I will prepare hard for the remaining time to live up to that goal so that I can see you on the mound at Jamsil Baseball Stadium next year.”
The hitter Kim Taek-yeon wants to face in the pros is Choi Jeong (SSG Landers). He said, “I watched senior Choi Jeong a lot when I was young, and since he still remains a legend in the KBO league, I think he is a hitter who will compete when he goes pro, so I want to compete with him at least once.” He added, “When I first started playing baseball (Choi Jeong) ) I saw it a lot, and I felt a little motivated,” he said, expressing his thoughts.
Kim Taek-yeon, who could not hide his excitement at meeting another legend, Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop, said, “Of course, I have seen him many times, but I have never met him in person. I think it would be more of an honor to see someone who was a legend in the KBO league after only seeing him on TV, and I learned more. “I feel good because I think I will get it,” he said with a smile.
Until his first season as a pro, Kim Taek-yeon wants to focus on solving his breaking ball challenges. He said, “This winter’s goal is to improve the perfection of my breaking ball. As I improve the perfection of my breaking ball, I am also practicing new pitches, so I think I will get better results if I improve on that a bit more and prepare for next season.” “I’m improving my gun curve, and I’m also practicing my changeup a lot and plan to use it soon,” he said.
Taekyeon Kim’s goal after entering the professional world is not to follow someone else, but to become the ‘No. 1 Taekyeon Kim.’ When asked about his role model, he said, “I’ve always said that because I’m an amateur player, so I said I was a role model to follow, but now I think of myself as a professional player, and now I’m a role model that amateur players can learn from (me).” “My thoughts have changed so that I can become a player and a role model for my friends,” he said. “I want to become that kind of player so that (other players) can think of Kim Taek-yeon as a role model, not as someone second, but as the number one Kim Taek-yeon.” emphasized.