Park Chan-ho’s injury and Kim Do-young is still… KIA’s Okinawa MVP Disappeared, When Will He Come Back
Ahead of the match against Samsung in Gwangju on Tuesday, even Park Chan-ho, the team’s flagship shortstop, was excluded from the first division entry. He has back pain. Park Chan-ho, who had been leading the shortstop gold glove race by displaying good batting performance and energetic defense early this season, recorded a hit-by-miss ball at the Doosan Bears match in Jamsil on March 31. He had a bruise on his left chest at the time, but the pain intensified while playing baserunning at the match against Samsung in Gwangju on March 6.
Although it is not a serious injury, Kia’s coaching staff have been excluded from the entry into the main league by urging them to concentrate on treatment as the injury requires several days of treatment. Park will return to the main league entry after 10 days’ rest, but at this point, Park Chan-ho seems to have a rather large gap. Third baseman Kim Do-young’s pace in the early days of the season is not very good. It is a blow both in ball and water.
Park Chan-ho was also active in offense this year as his team’s leadoff. He posted a batting average of 0.364 in the first 11 games of this season, displaying high sensitivity with his bat. He also garnered four stolen bases, and served as Kia’s strong charging leader. His contribution in defense is jaw-dropping. On the other hand, Kim Do-young’s batting performance behind Park is not so good.
In terms of combined ball, water and maintenance, Kim, who is evaluated as the best talent at that age, only posted a batting average of 0.192 in the first 12 games of this season. His on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) is also 0.505. Analysts say that his injury before the season probably affected him. Kim played in the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) in November last year as a member of the national team, but injured his finger while sliding headfirst. As a result, he had to undergo rehabilitation for a long time.
While others were swinging and doing defensive training, Kim had to concentrate on rehabilitation while not even playing catch ball. Although he completed his rehabilitation belatedly and raised his pace fiercely ahead of the season, the amount of training he conducted is not as large as other players. In the end, analysts say that this affected his slump in ball and number at the beginning of the season. In other words, we cannot rule out the possibility that there will be ups and downs for a while at the beginning of the season.
Unfortunately, the 21-year-old infielder Yoon Do-hyun captured the coaching staff’s attention by displaying impressive batting performance at the Okinawa camp. Yoon, who was picked as Kim Do-young’s rival by showing great talent in both ball and water when he was an amateur, cried due to frequent injuries over the past two years. Ahead of this season, however, he joined the camp in good health, and displayed his best batting performance at the Okinawa camp, raising expectations for the season. Not to mention his batting performance, he was praised for his better-than-expected defense. A spot in the opening entry seemed to follow.
However, there has been no news since he moved to the second division due to flank pain at the last minute of the Okinawa camp. According to an Kia source, Yoon has already completed his rehabilitation. However, he has not joined the second division yet, and is still in the remaining division. His team explained that since he is such a determined player, he purposely adjusted his pace to avoid injury if he hurriedly lifts his physical condition. Analysts say that he may join the second division soon and have actual matches, but it is not easy for him to join the first division immediately.
In other words, KIA’s infield is flowing a little differently from the pre-season plan. Yoon Do-hyun’s injury, Park Chan-ho’s injury, and Kim Do-young’s poor start are all a little disappointing. We are waiting for the day to overcome that crisis and become a full body, but it is important to overcome this crisis well for now. Last year, KIA remembers struggling during the period when Park Chan-ho was injured. Park Min and Kim Kyu-sung, who are considered alternative resources, should work a little harder in both ball and ball.
BY: 스포츠토토핫