Will the legend of another reward player be reproduced? Samsung Lions outfielder Kim Tae-hoon (26) has been making a strong impression since the beginning of spring camp.
Kim Tae-hun, who is currently in spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, started as a center batting player in all three evaluation matches held until the 13th, and took the stamp of coach Park Jin-man.
He even reported a home run in the second evaluation game on the 11th. Kim Tae-hoon, who started as the fifth hitter and left fielder against the Chunichi Dragons, fired a solo shot that went over the right-middle fence in the 4th inning. Although it was a practice game, he proved his potential by hitting his first hit and his first home run after transferring.
Kim Tae-hoon wore a Samsung uniform last winter as a free agent (FA) compensation player. In return for sending Kim Sang-soo to KT Wiz, Samsung designated Kim Tae-hoon as a compensation player and infused new ‘blue blood’. At the time, Samsung said, “The ability to cope with breaking balls and contact skills is excellent, so it is highly useful as a pinch hitter. It will make the team’s outfield depth (player layer) thicker,” he said, looking forward to Kim Tae-hoon’s performance.
Kim Tae-hun, who joined KT in the 2nd 5th round of the 2015 rookie draft, continued to grow by playing mainly in the Futures League. During the 7 Futures League seasons (excluding military service), he had a batting average of 0.303 (347 hits in 1147 at-bats), 42 homers and 211 RBIs. In the 2020 season, he won the futures southern league batting king, and also played a big role in the 2021 season with a high batting average of 0.370.
But he hasn’t shown anything in the first team yet. He appeared in 75 first-team games and had a batting average of 0.203 (29 hits in 143 at-bats), 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. In the 2021 season, he appeared in 44 games and showed potential with a batting average of 0.230 (20 hits in 87 at-bats) and 1 home run and 6 RBIs, but the following year he again only appeared in 7 games and did not receive a chance. It’s already been 9 years as a professional, now it’s time to show it.
Samsung has many good memories of reward players. Catcher Kim Jae-seong, who came as a compensation player for Park Hae-min (LG) last season, performed well and brought stability to the home room, and right-hander Lee Seung-hyun, a compensation player for Cha Woo-chan (LG) in 2017, is also adding great strength to the current team’s bullpen. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Tae-hoon will be able to continue this good energy.
Although it is early in the camp without a lot of key players, Kim Tae-hoon is getting a chance. It can be seen that Samsung has high expectations for Kim Tae-hoon, as he started in all three practice games and was placed in the center of the batting line in all three games. As a left-handed pinch hitter with few lefties in the team, attention is focused on whether Kim Tae-hoon will be able to live up to the team’s expectations. Kim Tae-hoon said, “I will prepare well for the season by improving his batting stance during the camp.” 토토사이트