SSG obtained catcher Kim Min-sik (34) through a trade with KIA in May of last year. Left-hander Kim Sa-yoon (before renaming Kim Jeong-bin) and Im Seok-jin, a right-handed hitter resource that the team once cherished, took the risk of bleeding to reinforce the catchers.
SSG’s concern was the unexpected rapid decline of catcher Lee Jae-won. However, the backup catchers were not very strong either. The internal evaluation was that the skills of the catchers were all good. Cho Hyeong-woo, the next-generation catcher that the team had the most expectations for, needed a little more time to be used in the first team.
At that time, Kim Min-sik, who had a lot of first-team experience and had somewhat narrowed his position in the KIA due to the recruitment of Park Dong-won, caught my eye. There weren’t many teams that would give out a first-team catcher, but I inquired with the feeling of grabbing at least a straw. KIA revealed the meaning of “if the card is right, it is possible”, and as soon as it came to the market, it immediately approached and succeeded in recruiting.
Kim Min-sik, who was nominated for the team’s second round (11th overall) in 2012, was traded to KIA, which needed a main catcher at the time in 2017. Kim Min-sik also played a key role in winning the Korean Series in 2017 as the KIA’s main catcher. However, he has not been able to continue his performance since then. When the KIA recruited Park Dong-won to reinforce the catcher, he was on the verge of losing his starting position right away.
However, Kim Min-sik, who has returned to his parents’ home, is contributing to the team by working silently. Last year, he shared a catcher mask with Lee Jae-won, contributing to the team’s wire-to-wire victory and the combined victory in the Korean Series. It was thanks to Kim Min-sik that SSG was able to survive in a situation where Lee Jae-won’s performance was not improving.
This year, he also competed with Lee Jae-won as the starting catcher, but as Lee Jae-won went down to the 2nd team amid rapid sluggishness, he became the 1st team starting catcher. It means a greater sense of responsibility. Kim Min-sik is carrying that responsibility on his shoulders and moving forward. He is making a big contribution to SSG’s leading run by leading even young catcher Cho Hyung-woo.
Kim Min-sik has a batting average of 0.234, 2 home runs and 13 RBIs in 44 games of the season until the 3rd. Although his performance is not spectacular on the outside, the true value of Kim Min-sik’s offense shines on base. Kim Min-sik has already won 18 four-balls. Thanks to that, his on-base percentage reaches 0.357, more than 10 percent higher than his batting average. As a catcher, the fact that the on-base rate is in the mid-30s can be judged to be quite valuable in the offense.
He sees the ball calmly and has good catcher-specific goals, so he can create decisive scenes. In the game against Kiwoom held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 3rd, he not only led various pitchers well until the 10th inning, but also shone brightly at the end by hitting the end of the 10th inning with a 1-1 match. After the game, Kim Min-sik said that he was aiming for the ball to his body, but he hit it accurately and made the final hit.
It is evaluated that he is doing more than the basics in defense. As he became the main catcher and played the game systematically, he seemed to find a sense of stability in his performance. He succeeded in stealing 15 times, the most in the league this year, and has a good success rate of 36%. Blocking against wild pitches on the SSG mound, where pitchers throw forkballs, is not bad either. His performance so far is never too much to say that he is a catcher who combines offense and defense.
Kim Min-sik Personally,토토사이트 I am glad that he made a rebound in his career ahead of obtaining free agent (FA) qualifications. Last year, catchers poured out and shook the market, but this year, as the catcher market was not formed last year, the value is expected to increase considerably. When asked about free agency, Kim Min-sik always says, “I think I’ll do my best in a game without paying attention.”
SSG can’t help but consider renewing the contract if this is the case. It is because Cho Hyeong-woo also has military problems. They need a catcher to fill the gap, and Kim Min-sik can be the best substitute. The trade in May of last year seems to be a godsend.