Kim Taek-yeon was placed under a “no-pitching ban”

Kim Taek-yeon, 19, a pitching prospect selected by Doosan with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft, was placed under a “no-pitching ban” after joining the team at its final camp in Icheon last November. Doosan took Kim under its wing following the bullying controversy that erupted at the U-18 Baseball World Cup last September when he was a senior at Incheon High School. They have been taking care of him like a treasure.

At the World Cup in Taipei, Taiwan, Kim pitched for five consecutive days. The tournament rules don’t allow him to pitch four days in a row, but he pitched five due to a rainout suspension. He started with a relief win against Puerto Rico in the group stage on Sept. 6-7, throwing 21 pitches in 1⅔ innings and 19 pitches in 1⅓ innings for a total of three scoreless innings and 40 pitches. He then threw 16 pitches in 1⅓ innings against the United States in the Super Round on Aug. 8 and 24 pitches in 1 inning against the Netherlands on Aug. 9, before starting on Aug. 10 and throwing 98 pitches in seven innings. In five consecutive days on the mound, he totaled 178 pitches in 12⅓ innings.

Started seven of the nine days of the tournament and threw 245 pitches in six games and 16 innings.

Too much for an 18-year-old pitcher. After going 2-1 with a 1.13 ERA while throwing pitches up to 152 kilometers per hour, and leading South Korea to a bronze medal, 온라인카지노 Kim was lauded, but not without criticism from national team manager Lee Young-bok.

When Kim joined Doosan in November for the final camp in Icheon, he didn’t pitch, instead focusing on catching, fielding, and weight training. In the subsequent rookie camp, he also rested his arm and shoulder and focused on participating in the spring training camp in Sydney, Australia, next month.

When we met at the KBO rookie training on the 9th, Kim said, “I’ve been resting from pitching since the national team ended in September. I had enough rest, and I think the club was considerate. Even in the final camp, manager Lee Seung-yeop told me, ‘Never overdo it,’ so I was able to control my pace with gratitude.”

Despite being banned from pitching all winter, he hasn’t wasted any time.

“I’ve been focusing on perfecting my changeup, splitter, and curve. In high school, I only threw backdoor sliders and fastballs to left and right against lefties, but in the pros, I felt like I needed pitches to get away from lefties, like a reverse changeup and a splitter. When you’re facing older lefties with good contact and good power, you need to have those weapons. I worked on my changeup a lot during the offseason.”

Kim dominated hitters in high school with his fastball and slider combination, but there are many lefties who can hit well in the pros. Without a weapon against lefties, it’s hard to survive in the league. Kim recognizes this and prepares for it.

He watches and references splitter videos of Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LA Dodgers), who entered the major leagues with the highest contract in pitching history (12 years, $325 million). “I loved Yamamoto’s pitching style and wanted to emulate it, so I looked up how to throw with a splitter grip. I also have a splitter grip that Coach Park Jung-bae taught me during the final camp. I’m trying different grips to see what works best for me. The pitch tunnel is also important, and it would be nice to be able to throw a splitter that rises and falls quickly like Yamamoto,” Kim said.

Kim has already been confirmed for the first team spring training.

“If I go to the bullpen, I want to finish, it’s a position that means something to me and I want to try it,” he said, “I also have a desire to start. I’m also attracted to pitching long innings, but the position should be based on the team’s needs.”

The most important thing is health. 바카라사이트 추천 “When I go to camp, I will throw at my own pace. “My goal is to go through the season without getting sick,” he says, “so I’m not going to overdo it, even if someone is filming me or the coach is watching. Before that, I want to make the opening day roster and win Rookie of the Year, which is a goal for any rookie, and I’m not looking for that award, but I’m going to have that goal. Being number one or two doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be good. I’m going to look at what I want to accomplish rather than who I want to accomplish.”