? Kim Hyeon-soo (LG Twins), who maintains the dignity of a ‘hitting machine’ even as time goes by, is the main character.
Kim Hyun-soo, who played in 141 games in the regular season last year, recorded 524 at-bats, 150 hits, a batting average of 0.286, 23 homers, 106 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.848.
Compared to the three seasons immediately after returning to the KBO League, there was a downward trend in hitting indicators in the 2021-2022 season, but he is still a hitter who can hit double-digit home runs. Besides, he has a lot of big game experience, so he can be a great addition to his team. He was also named to the final roster for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team to be held in March this year.
Kim Hyun-soo, who proved his value on a bigger stage, Kim
Hyun-soo’s overall performance in international competitions is 210 at-bats, 76 hits, 0.362 batting average, 4 homers, and 46 RBIs. He showed steady performance except for the 2013 WBC and the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
To look back on Kim Hyun-soo’s national team career, we have to go back to 2008. That was already 15 years ago. At that time, Kim Hyun-soo, who tasted the joy of boarding the national team for the first time at the Beijing Olympics, participated in 8 games and recorded 10 hits in 27 at bats with a batting average of 0.370 and 4 RBIs, contributing greatly to the ‘winner’.
In the WBC held the following year (11 hits in 28 at-bats, 0.393 batting average, 4 RBIs), Kim Hyun-soo’s bat was hot. Even in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou (10 hits in 18 bats, 0.556 batting average, 5 RBIs), the upward trend continued. Kim Hyun-soo, who was not intimidated by meeting high-level pitchers, became responsible for one axis of the national team’s outfield.
In the 2015 Premier 12 (33 at bats, 11 hits, batting average of 0.333, 13 RBIs), where Korea reached the top, he was selected as the official MVP of the tournament, and in the 2019 Premier 12 (23 at bats, 8 hits, batting average of 0.348, 1 home run, 6 RBIs), the national team career He hit hard, including his first home run record.
Even at the most recent 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Kim Hyun-soo did his part. He went 12 at 30 with a batting average of 0.400, 3 homers and 7 RBIs, and an OPS of over 1. His performance always shined in matches where the national team won.
Nevertheless, Kim Hyun-soo had to keep his head down. He was very upset about not winning a medal. In particular, if he participated as the ‘youngest’ in the Olympics 13 years ago, he was in a position to lead juniors as a senior in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. It was a tournament where Kim Hyun-soo felt more pressure than ever before.
WBC joins in strong support…
Can Kim Hyun-soo be less lonely this time? It is forbidden to be vigilant, but if you look at the WBC national team’s power alone, it is evaluated that it is ‘the best ever’, and this year’s two-hit power is not inferior even if you compare it with any other international competition.
In particular, with the addition of ‘overseas’ 먹튀검증 Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals) and Kim Ha-seong (San Diego), it is expected that the center line will be stabilized and the offensive power will be strengthened. Hitters with one shot, such as Park Byung-ho (kt Wiz), who became the home run king in the KBO League last year, also wore the Taegeuk mark.
In addition to Kim Hyun-soo, most of the players selected for the national team played the role of the center batting line in their team. Someone such as Lee Jeong-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes) and Choi Ji-man (Pittsburgh Pirates) should be placed in the 3rd to 5th, but if they are not placed in the center of the batting line, the burden can be relieved in the 6th to 9th.
Even in the case of Kim Hyeon-soo, he is one of the players who can occupy a spot on the center batting line, and depending on the situation, he may be placed in a different batting order, such as 6th. What is clear is that the national team still has high expectations for Kim Hyun-soo. Will he be able to smile widely in his 10th international tournament since his professional debut?