Kiwoom's Kim Gun-hee, who is struggling with the 'Doll runner', is evolving into a real catcher, saying, "Ahn Woo-jin will return → become a really different team this year.""

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes' 'Ma' Kim Gun-hee (22) is sweating in Taiwan's spring camp. Kim Gun-hee, who is evolving into a real catcher by fighting a "struggle" like a real game beyond simply receiving the ball, is full of confidence to lead the team to a rebound in the 2026 season.

What became a hot topic in the recent spring camp training video released by the Kiwoom Heroes club is the "dummy doll" introduced in catcher defense training. Kim Gun-hee is sweating every day as she wrestles with this doll.

According to the Kiwoom team, Kim Gun-hee expressed satisfaction with this, saying, "Even if you are not an actual runner, if you have a doll next to you, you will be much more focused as if you are in real life." "Thanks to Kang Byung-sik, the head coach, throwing the doll passionately, the uniform pants became covered with dirt. I really appreciated the coach's passion," he said with a smile. Battery coach Park Do-hyun is also refining the details by emphasizing lower body speed, step, and port concentration to Kim Gun-hee.

There was also a definite yield in the batting. Kim Gun-hee, who was worried last year because her lower body movement was not constant, made "consistency" a top priority in this camp. He said, "It was very helpful for batting coach Kim Tae-wan to advise me to ask directly to hitters who are good," adding, "I asked senior coach Park Byung-ho about his rhythm at bat, and he told me a new way, so I'm making it mine." Now, he explains that he has his own clear standards when hitting.

Kim Gun-hee was close to Kiwoom's main catcher in the 2025 season. Kim Gun-hee, who is already in his third season, played a whopping 105 games in the 2025 season, hitting a batting average of 0.242 (78 hits in 322 at-bats) with three home runs and 25 RBIs. He played the most games in his career and had the most catcher's defensive innings with 731 innings. He has played 85 games as a starting catcher. Kim Gun-hee personally has a strong desire to keep his position as the main catcher.

It was a word from Lim Ji-yeol (31), who was newly appointed as captain, that he comforted Kim Gun-hee whenever he was tired of intensive training. Kim Gun-hee, who recalled, "I changed my mind after hearing Lim Ji-yeol's words, 'If I think it's hard, I'll stay there,' and said, "My juniors are watching, but I can't just show my hard feelings." He even gave a mature answer, saying, "I have to hold out to make the team hard."

The 'baseball diary' he has been writing since high school is also a strong asset for him. He writes a diary every day with his roommate and rookie infielder Park Han-kyul (19) and repeats the training. "It's easy to forget even if you hear good stories, but if you write them down, it's very helpful to look back," is the secret of Kim Gun-hee's right-wing growth.

Kim Gun-hee, who is currently controlling his pace by diagnosing his physical condition at 50%, was confident of Kiwoom's rebound this season. Finally, Kim Gun-hee said, "This year, high-quality pitchers such as Wiles and Yuto joined, and above all, Ahn Woo-jin is scheduled to return." "The team's atmosphere is united toward 'Let's make an accident this year.' Young players will be more responsible and play for the team's performance," he said, renewing his strong determination.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.