‘Compensation Player Myth’ I dreamed of an ERA in the 5’s
When asked what the 2023 season was like for him, left-handed pitcher Kim Dae-yoo (KIA Tigers) said, “I felt like I got punched in the face.” Here’s why.
Drafted by the Nexen Heroes (now the Kiwoom Heroes) with the 18th pick in the third round of the 2010 Rookie Draft, Kim went on to play for the SK Wyverns (now the SSG Landers), the KT Wiz, and the LG Twins. He had two consecutive seasons with double-digit holdings in 2021 and 2022, posting ERAs in the low 2s.
It was after the 2022 season that Kim changed teams once again. Kia named Kim Dae-yoo as a compensation player for free agent Park Dong-won in late November 2022, with high hopes for his versatility as a left-handed hitter with excellent command and movement.
Kia utilized Kim Dae-yoo last season as an ‘immediate strategic sense’. However, Kim’s performance in 2023 was 41 games, 2 losses, 4 holds, and a 5.11 ERA. Compared to the previous two seasons, Kim’s performance was somewhat lackluster. In the end, Kim ended the season without creating a compensation player myth.
“I felt like I got hit,” Kim said at Narabunda Ballpark in Canberra, Australia, the site of the first spring training camp. I didn’t do something right. I thought I couldn’t finish like this.” He added, “I was greedy and didn’t play well. In baseball, you lose if you make mistakes, and I made a lot of mistakes. I tried to do better, but I think it was difficult,” he reflected.
“I changed teams, and first impressions are important, so I wondered what I was trying to do,” Kim said. “I felt (that) a lot after coming up to the first team from the second team last year,” he added.
It would be a lie to say that the pressure hasn’t completely disappeared. “Even though I feel less pressure, I still have a strong desire to show the fans that I can do it properly, so I want to be confident, and if I can be confident, then all the records will follow,” Kim Dae-yoo said encouragingly.
After two bullpen pitches on the fifth and seventh, Kim Dae-yoo is slowly improving his condition. “The catchers all said it was fine, so I’m thinking 카지노사이트 positively,” he said, smiling, “I wanted to have one camp in good weather, and I think it’s fine.”
He didn’t forget to mention starting catcher Kim Tae-gun. “Even in the winter, (Kim) played catch with his brother, and it was definitely different, like, ‘This is how it should be this time of year. “After last season, the players talked to him a lot,” Kim said. “When we were all together for medical tests, he always told me to let him know if I needed help. I’m trying really hard to keep up with the pitchers. I think Tae-gun is a little bit of a leader, so I think that will work in his favor,” he said.
With the disappointment behind him, what are Kim’s goals as he prepares for the new season? “Nothing makes me feel more proud as a player than helping the team achieve results,” Kim said, adding, “I don’t think I can do any worse than last year. I think anything can be improved. We were really bad numerically and on the surface, so I think we need to improve all of those things. When I was interviewed a year ago, I said that I wanted to average what I did before, and to do that, I need to perform as well as I did before,” he said.