KT Wiz pitcher prospect Kim Young-hyun (22) is a warm-hearted player.
Kim Young-hyun, a native of Dongsung Middle School in Gwangju and Dongsung High School in Gwangju, joined KT as the 45th pick in the fifth round of the second round of the 2021 KBO Rookie Draft. He pitched faster than 145 kilometers and is strong in sliders.
He stayed with the Futures for two seasons after joining the club. He did not play any games in the 2021 season. Then, he played in 16 Futures games in the 2022 season and posted a two-hold ERA of 7.31.
Then, in 2023, the team made its long-awaited debut in the main league. It was also in the opening game on April 1. At the time, KT had no winning team including Kim Min-soo and Joo Sang-ho due to injury. Kim Young-hyun got the opportunity. Although he left the game with one hit, three outs, and four runs in 0.1 innings, he garnered attention as the future by showing potential pitching. He garnered his first save in the match against the Suwon Hanwha Eagles on August 8 last year, and secured a hold in the Suwon KIA Tigers on October 5.
Having spent a busy season moving between the first and second divisions, Kim posted an earned run average of 5.45 earned runs per hold with one hold in 31 games in the first division. He also entered the NC Dinos, playoffs, LG Twins and Korean Series, and participated in one game each in each series. He was the busiest since his debut.
Kim Young-hyun is building his body at his alma mater Gwangju Dongsung High School. Since 2022, he has visited Gwangju Dongsung High School, where he graduated from, to train jointly with his juniors and donate his talent.
He does not just take care of his or her body to prepare for the spring camp. He or she shares training sessions with younger players including running and catching balls, as well as routines and technical know-how required as a professional player.
Kim Young-hyun is acting like this because he was impressed by Kim Won-joong (Lotte Giants), a senior high school student. When Kim Young-hyun was in high school, Kim Won-joong consistently conducted talent donation and joint training at Dongsung High School in the offseason even after joining Lotte. As a result, Kim Young-hyun naturally joined the club after joining the professional league.
Kim Won-joong has been Lotte’s franchise star since he joined Lotte as the fifth-ranked team in the first round in 2012. He has played 325 games, recording 36 wins, 43 losses, 107 saves, and four holds with an ERA of 5.24.
Kim Won-joong, who turned to the closing game of the 2020 season, garnered double-digit saves for four consecutive seasons. He recorded five wins, four losses, 25 saves with an ERA of 3.94 in 58 games in the 2020 season, and four wins, four losses, 35 saves with an ERA of 3.59 in 61 games in the 2021 season. Thirty-five saves is the most he has recorded since his debut. In the 2022 season, he slowed down with two wins, three losses, 17 saves, and two holds with an ERA of 3.98, but in the 2023 season, he appeared in 63 games, the most since his debut, posting a five wins, six losses and 30 saves with an ERA of 2.97.
Kim Young-hyun, who is spending a meaningful off-season with his seniors, said through his club, “I share what I am curious about while training with my juniors. Rather than teaching, I share what I know. I am also learning from my juniors who are so willing to learn. I think I am also growing in this process.” 랭크카지노
“Just as Yang Hyun-jong and Kim Won-joong helped my high school a lot, I also want to be a senior who can do one more thing to my juniors,” he said.
Let’s look forward to his 2024 warm winter with Kim Young-hyun and his juniors, who were impressed by his seniors.