“I am confident that I will not get a hit. I think I will have a special feeling when I meet you.”
At the end of last month, I met Kiwoom’s rookie catcher Kim Dong-hun at the departure gate of Incheon International Airport. Kiwoom is a promising player selected with the rookie nomination that Kiwoom acquired after giving up Park Dong-won to KIA in April of last year. Kim Dong-heon said he wanted to play against Chungam High School’s ‘soul battery’ Yoon Young-chul (KIA) in the first team. He said that of course he could hit Yun Young-cheol. It is unlikely that he will be in the first team right away, but he has captured the heart of coach Hong Won-ki with a powerful blow.
I was curious about Yoon Young-cheol’s answer. Recently, KIA’s spring camp magazine said at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson바카라, Arizona, “I want to meet Kim Dong-heon. He is a player you want to play against. It seems that the feeling is different. I want to face him in the 1st team. He is confident that he will not get a hit.”
The 2023 season of Yoon Young-chul, who proved to be a high school level rookie with high-level command and game management ability, is a pretty important issue for KIA. Following Yoon Young-cheol’s soft landing in the first team, his team power may change. It is possible to play both the role of the 5th selection and the succession system.
Kim Dong-heon worked with Yoon Young-cheol throughout the three years of high school. Yoon Young-cheol was the hidden number one contributor to overpowering the KBO league legend hitters of the Monsters three times in the JTBC entertainment program Strongest Baseball last year. It has captured the heart of coach Hong Won-ki with a powerful blow. It is not at a level that can be used as a first-team backup right away, but there is a good chance of being called up to the first team during the season.
There are many variables depending on the game schedule, whether there is a call-up to the first team, and the role played by the team. Still, it is not at all impossible for Yoon Young-cheol and Kim Dong-hun to face each other in the first team. In order to stay in the first team for a long time, Yoon Young-cheol steadily improves his condition by pitching in the bullpen.
Manager Kim Jong-guk also opened up the possibility of Yoon Young-chul entering the starting lineup. It is evaluated that the pitching style suits the selection for a long time. However, if he shows his high-level game management and crisis management skills in the pros, he seems capable of playing in the bullpen. Yoon Young-chul said, “It is possible to be selected as well as to be a member of Pil Seung-jo. With the mindset of when and how to win in a crisis, he tries to throw a ball with certainty even if he throws one.”
Unlike his high school years, he systematically weight-trains. He said, “It’s nice to be able to focus only on exercise. He is building strength through weight training.” However, at present, he has no desire to increase the speed of his fastball in the early 140km range. “It is up to me to do it. He has no desire for redemption and wants to throw consistently for a long time.”
He grows up in the teachings of great pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong as well as coaches. Yoon Young-cheol said, “The pitching coach orders the catch ball to be a little faster. He ultimately tries to create his own pitching style. Senior Yang Hyeon-jong definitely has a different feeling. (Lee) Loyal hyung and I share the same room, but we talk a lot about this and that.”