“My dream is to hit 40 homers beyond 20 and 30 and win the home run title at LG.”
Rookie catcher Kim Beom-seok (19), who was nominated 7th in the first round by the LG Twins after graduating from Gyeongnam High School, is one of the big prospects that LG and the Korean baseball world are paying attention to. Cha Myung-seok, general manager of LG, showed expectations after designating Kim Beom-seok in the rookie draft in September of last year, saying, “I chose and selected the old name Kim Beom-seok because it could change into a byword in Korean baseball in the future.”
Currently, Kim Beom-seok is sweating heavily while participating in Futures team training at Icheon LG Champions Park instead of joining the first team spring camp due to a right shoulder injury.
Hwang Byeong-il, director of LG Futures, said, “Kim Bum-seok is a rookie, but he is a promising player. Also, developing players is what the Futures team has to do. I had a meeting with coach Jo In-seong and asked for a favor. I came to the conclusion to go with one-on-one spelling. Even if you can’t hit at bat right now, you’re going to do adaptation training using a fast ball that you can practice visually as a machine, tea batting with a light bat with one left hand, or lower body training. He said that a customized program only for Kim Bum-seok would be conducted.
Kim Bum-seok, who talked on the 3rd, said, “The Icheon training schedule is systematic, and there is synergy thanks to the environment. He also said, “When he trains, he tries to learn a lot from his seniors with a good heart.” In a systematic training schedule, Kim Beom-seok lost 10 kg, and said that he plans to lose more weight later.
If only his right shoulder had been better, he might have been named to the roster for first-team spring camp being held in Arizona, USA.
He said, “On the one hand, it is true that I am regretful. However, it would have been more regrettable if he left in an incomplete state. He said, “I think it’s right to go next year after making more shoulders or body condition this year.”
Kim Bum-seok, who continued, said, “I am focusing on basic physical strength and weights now. He also does occasional batting drills. He doesn’t hit perfectly, but he can throw 5m to 10m too. Work hard from the basics. He said that the manager and coaches also help a lot.”
Kim Beom-seok is a catcher with long hitting power. He appeared in 25 games in the 2022 season, where he had a batting average of .337 with 28 hits, 10 home runs and 31 RBI. He is the first high school player to hit double-digit home runs in a season after switching to a wooden bat. He also has good running skills for a catcher.
Kim Bum-seok said, “I was in charge of hitting number 4 on the team. He is confident in his fastball, but he is also confident in his breaking ball,” he said. “He loved stealing bases since high school. Even during practice matches, he was just running around. He loses weight, and if his body gets better, he will be able to play more that I like.” 스포츠토토
Kim Bum-seok’s dream is to become the future LG catcher’s home run king. In fact, it is not easy to become a home run king at the large Jamsil Stadium and in the catcher position, which consumes a lot of physical strength. Among the catchers who have used Jamsil Stadium as their home so far, there are only three catchers who have exceeded 20 homers. Doosan Yang Eui-ji, Kim Dong-soo, and Jo In-seong are LG battery coaches. The catcher with the most homers is coach Insung Cho, who hit 28 in 2010. Yang Eui-ji has recorded 30 home runs in two consecutive seasons in the 2020 season and 2021 season, but at that time he belonged to NC, which uses NC Park as the home stadium, not Doosan.
Kim Beom-seok said, “It is of course an honor to hit more than 20 homers like the seniors. However, my personal goal is to hit more than 30 home runs and 40 home runs beyond 20 home runs, and my dream is to win the home run king as an LG catcher.”
Finally, Kim Beom-seok said, “The goal for 2023 is that the injury must heal. And I want to continue to play 2nd team games. I want to go further and enter the first team in the middle or the second half of the season. I want to accumulate experience. I want to play a game in front of a full crowd this season,” he smiled.