*This content was translated by AI.
The main weapons of KIA Tigers right-hander Kim Tae-hyung (20) in high school were sliders and splitters.
Kim Tae-hyung's large-angle slider, fast slider and splitter allowed him to play long innings, even though his average fastball pitch of mid-to-late 140 kilometers per hour was not the highest. When he was a second grader at Deoksu High School, he struck out 15 in nine innings in a weekend league game with Cheongwon High School, achieving a no-hitter. Kim Tae-hyung, who was called the highest one-two punch in high school along with Chung Hyun-woo (20, Kiwoom Heroes), was nominated by KIA with the fifth place in the first round of the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft.
Usually, first-round rookie pitchers who throw fastballs start their first professional year with bullpens. The primary purpose is to make young players experience professional level without putting pressure on them. One of the reasons is that his ability to use breaking balls is not yet suitable for the professional stage.
Prospects who are mentioned for the first round every year are pitchers who have thrown fast balls of more than 150km/h. It is true that it is still not easy to hit the ball at the high school level. As a result, there are few first-round players who come with a perfect breaking ball. For this reason, it is common for aces who have pitched 105 pitches in high school to start as bullpens in professionals and settle down altogether.
However, Kia's choice was different. Kia has thoroughly fostered Kim Tae-hyung as a starting pitcher since his first year. In the Futures League, he included in the starting rotation, and gradually increased the number of innings in the first team. In the last three games after the ranking fight, he was sent out as a starter. His performance in that way is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA in 8 ⅔ and 14 strikeouts with 12 pitches (seven walks and five bodies) in 23 games.
In response to the expectations, young rookies also responded by increasing their speed and polishing their latest Major League Baseball (ML) pitches. The disappointing splitter was replaced by a kick changeup that became famous last year thanks to KBO MVP Cody Ponce (Toronto Blue Jays). The angled slider was sharpened to make it closer to a sweeper.
The game against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 2nd was a game in front of a full crowd. Kim Tae-hyung took the mound as a starting pitcher and took his first loss of the season with three hits, three walks, four strikeouts and two runs in five innings. In the game, which KIA lost 1-2, it was regrettable that the batters failed to score even though they had more hits (7 KIA, 5 LG).
Kim Tae-hyung's pitching was not bad. On this day, Kim Tae-hyung threw a total of 81 pitches, including 48 fastball balls, 22 sliders, 8 change-up balls and 3 curves. In the first two innings, he faced LG's batters with a maximum fastball of 154 kilometers per hour. In the first inning, he struck out Hong Chang-ki with six fastball and Shin Min-jae with a fastball exactly across the outside strike zone. To right-handed hitter Austin Dean, he thoroughly attacked with an outside sweeper and drew an outfield fly ball.
After the first run, the coping was pitching so that KIA would not regret developing him as a starting pitcher. As a high school no-hitter ace, he struck out Koo Bon-hyuk with three pitches with more concentrated pitches even after losing points. To Park Hae-min, a tricky left-handed hitter, he ended the inning with a strikeout by mixing a changeup and a sweeper.
It was a game that showed limitations. From the third inning when the batting order went around once, he couldn't throw a ball more than 150 kilometers per hour. The breaking ball also lost its strength in the falling ball, and there was not a single swing until coming down the mound. Due to the failure to set the count, he allowed two walks in the fourth inning and lost additional runs.
Kim Tae-hyung, who looked back at this time after the game, said, "I tried to focus on the fight of each batter. In the case of kick change-up, I think it was okay against left-handed hitters, but I am not 100% satisfied yet. I think I need to refine it more," he expressed regret.
Despite the unsatisfactory game on his own, he played five innings for the first time among Kia's domestic starting pitchers this season. Kim Tae-hyung was born on December 15, 2006, and is closer to a rookie this year. In other words, it is understood that the power has declined as the innings went on. Rather, it can be interpreted that throwing fast balls over 150 kilometers per hour in a row, even though they are not physically ripe, announced their potential as starting pitchers for fastballs.
The tireless sense of improvement makes us look forward to the future. Kim Tae-hyung said, "I'm sorry that the team lost the game I started. In the next game, I will definitely help the team win," he said, expressing his strong ambition.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
