“Blocking, I’m confident I’m not going to lose (the ball). I think it’s my biggest strength.”
During his time at Gangneung High, he teamed up with Kim Jin-wook (Lotte Giants). Since joining the KIA Tigers, he has been recognized for his skills enough to be selected as a Future All-Star for the second consecutive year.
“I’m honored to be selected again this year,” said Kim Sun-woo, a Kia catcher, when we met at the Futures All-Star Game at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Thursday.
He was selected in the ninth round of the 2021 KBO Draft. From the time he joined the team, he was recognized as a catcher with good defense. In his third year, the 22-year-old is still a young catcher.
In the first team, he played 34 at-bats in three games last year and seven at-bats in five games this year, so he is slowly gaining experience. He has quick feet for a catcher.안전놀이터
Kia also gets a lot of fans at Hampyeong Stadium, where the Futures play. “When fans come to the stadium and call my name, it gives me a lot of energy,” Kim said.
At one point, he was used as an infield multi-backup due to a shortage of players in the Future team. In particular, he has been praised for his fundamentals as a catcher, including blocking. That’s why there’s so much interest in him.
“I think ‘there is no ball behind me,’ and if I prepare well as I practiced, good results come out. I’m not a big guy, but I think agility is more important for blocking. I’m confident that I can block well at any time,” Kim emphasized. “Honestly, I’m feeling the expectations placed on me. I will do my best and show you a good performance.”
Among the KIA pitchers, he feels most comfortable with Kim Jae-yeol. “We have a similar mindset when it comes to dealing with hitters and exchanging autographs,” Kim smiled.
After rotating Han Seung-taek Kim Min-sik and Shin Bum-soo, KIA recently acquired veteran Kim Tae-gun in a trade, giving them more depth in the middle of the order.
Kim is still young. He was accepted into the Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Commerce) in June of this year and is scheduled to enlist on December 18. Given his age, there’s a good chance that the opportunity will come back to him after his discharge.
But Kim’s ambitions are set on the immediate future. “I really want to get back to the first team this year. I can do it,” he said.