KIA Kim Do-young's 'record' surpassed by new star — will he deliver? Praise already pouring in at camp

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

There is a player who will capture the full attention of baseball fans next season. He is the one who surpassed KIA Tigers' Kim Do-young's signing bonus record. He is Doosan Bears' 'rookie batter' Kim Ji-woo (18).

The Doosan roster is currently undergoing intensive training at their closing camp in Miyazaki, Japan, which began on the 28th of last month.

In particular, among the rookies who have been building their physiques at Bears Park in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province since November, Kim Ji-woo (1st round pick, infielder), Jung Hyeon-woo (3rd round pick, pitcher), and Lee Min-jun (9th round pick, outfielder) joined the Miyazaki camp on the 8th.

A Doosan official described it as "an opportunity for the rookies to hone their skills and adapt quickly to the team," adding, "The three players immediately joined team training from the afternoon of their arrival date, the 8th."

The official further noted, "While the position players are completing daily batting and fielding drills, Kim Ji-woo, the first-round pick, has been evaluated as remarkably mature for a rookie in both offense and defense, leaving a strong first impression."

Praise also poured out from the coaching staff. Lee Jin-young, the head hitting coach, said, "He feels like he has very well-established fundamentals," adding, "I haven't observed him for a long time yet, but he is a player who combines power and skill. He possesses exceptional qualities to establish himself as a core player for Doosan Bears in a short period of time," offering high praise without reservation.

Fielding coach Son Ji-hwan praised him by saying, "It has not been many days, but first of all, his basic handling as an infielder is smooth. Also, unlike typical rookies, his first step is fast and looks good." He added, "He also shows well-established fundamentals in the field."

Kim Ji-woo donned the Doosan uniform as the second overall pick in the first round of the 2027 rookie draft. Doosan awarded Kim Ji-woo a signing bonus of 500 million won, the highest ever for a right-handed position player.

The 500 million won amount surpasses Kim Dong-joo's (OB, 1998) and Chung Sang-ho's (SK, 2001) 450 million won, as well as Kim Do-young's 400 million won. Including left-handed players, Kim Ji-woo has tied the all-time highest position player signing bonus record set by Kang Hyuk (OB, 1993) and Na Seung-yeop (Lotte, 2021).

In this year's high school league, as a batter, he appeared in 14 games, recording a .422 batting average (19 hits in 45 at-bats), two home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 runs scored, and two stolen bases, along with an on-base percentage of .444, a slugging percentage of .689, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.133. As a pitcher, he made eight appearances, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.91 ERA, striking out 15 batters in 11⅓ innings.

According to a Doosan official, Kim Ji-woo is actively engaging in training at the Miyazaki baseball field and is quickly adapting to the team by dining with senior players on rest days.

Kim Ji-woo smiled and said, "All the seniors take good care of me. In particular, thanks to my roommates, Park Ji-hoon and Oh Myung-jin, I feel like I have adapted to some extent even though it has not been long since I joined. On my first rest day (the 10th), they treated me to steak and conveyor belt sushi."

He continued, "Seeing the team training, all the seniors have a serious attitude toward baseball. There is truly much to learn from them. Doosan provides an environment where one can focus solely on baseball, so it seems like a good fit for me. My goal is to learn well everything from baseball skills to my approach to training until the end of camp," reaffirming his resolve.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original