Leaving the 1,000 innings shortstop for the sixth consecutive year...KIM DO YOUNG? Quarter? What happens to KIA Plan B
Nov 16, 2025
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Park Chan-ho is close to signing a contract with the Doosan Bears. The agreement on the period and amount has been completed, and only the detailed provisions are finally coordinated. KIA tried to keep Park Chan-ho, but anyway, it did not meet the conditions the player wanted, so they watched the transfer.
Park Chan-ho has never missed the title of KIA's main shortstop since 2019. He recorded more than 1,000 innings of defense for six consecutive years from 2020 to this year. He recorded 1,042 ⅔ innings in 2023, 1,120 ⅓ innings in 2024, and 1,114 ⅓ innings this year, ranking No. 1 in defensive innings within the team for the third consecutive year. In particular, Park Chan-ho played more than 1,000 innings alone this year due to the large number of injuries in the team.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho took Park Chan-ho's stay as a priority. This is because it was the FA's biggest fish with the highest possibility of transfer. When the shortstop, who was in charge of more than 1,000 innings every year, left, he was deeply concerned about who should be replaced.
If you find it inside the team, Kim Do-young is currently the number one. Kim Do-young is the only player who has played full-time in the first division as a main player, can defend shortstop, and has offensive power.
Kim Do-young was expected to be a special shortstop in high school, but Park Chan-ho was already in place as the main player when he joined KIA with the first nomination in 2022. Kim Do-young started her professional career as a third baseman and peaked last year in her third year as a professional. He was the MVP of the regular season with 141 games, a batting average of 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats), 38 homers, 40 steals, and 109 RBIs.
But this year, Kim had her worst season. It's because of the injury. Since the opening, he has played only 30 games as he has injured his left and right hamstrings alternately three times. Kim Do-young is currently focusing all her energy on rehabilitation and injury prevention, but she is not yet sure if she will be able to adapt quickly when she suddenly changes her position to shortstop.
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KIA is also considering bringing in an Asian quarter player when Kim Do-young believes it is difficult to play as a shortstop. At the finishing camp training site in Okinawa, Japan, he looked for Japanese pitchers and also searched for shortstop candidates.
It is a burden to bring a foreign hitter to shortstop to replace Patrick Wisdom, who hit 35 home runs this year. Anyway, if a foreign hitter is to succeed in Korea, he must have the firepower of the fourth batter. Shortstop is Dixon Machado, who played for Lotte Giants in 2020 and 2021. Machado was well received for his defense that set Lotte's center line, but he hit .279 with 17 home runs and 125 RBIs in his two-year career.
In the current situation, Kim Do-young or Asian quarter players are likely to be considered as shortstop next year.
In addition to Kim Do-young, Kim Kyu-sung, Park Min, and Chung Hyun-chang are sweating in Okinawa, dreaming of becoming the next shortstop. All three of them are evaluated as being able to play the main role immediately with defense. The problem is the lack of experience and hitting of the first team full-time. If it shows the possibility of erasing the mentioned shortcomings, it could be another option for KIA.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
