The director’s honest thoughts on ‘shortstop Kim Do-young’ and how he will fill the vacancy of Ryu Ji-hyeok

KIA Tigers coach Kim Jong-guk is often asked, ‘Why didn’t you appoint Kim Do-young as a shortstop?’

Dubbed the ‘second Lee Jong-beom’, Kim Do-young, who joined as a super rookie last year, plays a shortstop in his main position. However, since he joined the pros, he has mainly played as a third baseman. Last year, the first year of his joining, he also went to shortstop, but this year he is concentrating only on defending third base.

Currently, KIA’s main shortstop is Park Chan-ho. On the other hand, Ryu Ji-hyeok and Kim Do-young built a competitive system for third base. There was a calculation that the entire infield composition of the KIA would become more solid if Kim Do-young took a position at third base as well as shortstop defense. Recently, he also trained the second base defense, which was left empty due to Kim Seon-bin’s injury. However, as KIA traded Ryu Ji-hyeok, the position of ‘third baseman Kim Do-young’ seems to have become more solid.

When asked about his thoughts on ‘shortstop Kim Do-young’, coach Kim Jong-guk said, “I had such thoughts at the beginning of the season. However, there are concerns that Do-yeong could recur after his injury. Shortstops move too much, so I’m worried. Also, the defense of shortstop Chan-ho is much more stable now.”

In this year’s opening series, Kim Do-young encountered bad news, suffering from a fracture of the metatarsal bone in his left foot while playing base runs. He was able to return only at the end of June after virtually missing the first half. Since he is a player with high expectations for hitting, both the team and Kim Do-young are very concerned about the recurrence of the injury.

Manager Kim Jong-guk said, “Since Do-yeong was injured, I think the scope of use will decrease a bit this year. If Chan-ho gets injured or cannot play, Do-young can also be used as a shortstop, but for now, he can be used as third base. It’s a situation where you have to get out,” he explained.

Ryu Ji-hyeok left the team due to a trade, but Kim Do-young’s ‘hitting potential’ is bursting, and Kim Sun-bin, who has recovered from an injury, will also return to the first team this weekend. The KIA infield composition is also an opportunity to find stability again.메이저사이트

Instead, the ‘multi-man’ position due to Ryu Ji-hyeok’s transfer is expected from Kim Gyu-seong. Coach Kim Jong-kook expressed his anticipation, saying, “Kyu-seong has prepared well in all weathers. He is a stable player on the defense side. The player himself is confident in defense and base running, and his hitting has improved a lot.”