“Let’s be good to each other.”
Kim Do-yeong (KIA)메이저놀이터 and Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) were super promising players who dominated high school baseball in Gwangju. However, as they both graduated from Dongseong High School (Kim Do-young) and Jinheung High School (Moon Dong-ju), they had no chance to get close. Rather, after joining the pros, the number of cases in which the two received attention at the same time increased, and they naturally contacted each other and became close.
KIA’s choice of summer 2021 is expected to be talked about for a long time. At the time, the former leadership chose Kim Do-young after a long discussion over Kim Do-young and Moon Dong-ju as the first nominations. Then, Hanhwa, who watched KIA’s selection, quickly chose Moon Dong-ju as the first nomination. In other words, if KIA chose Moon Dong-ju, Hanhwa could have chosen Kim Do-young.
The KIA has another chance to recruit fastball prospects like Moon Dong-ju, but they chose Kim Do-young with the judgment that a beast with both power and speed like Kim Do-young would not come out easily. That’s how the fate of the two super-prospects was decided, and a year has passed. The first season of both was not flashy compared to their reputation. Kim Do-young had a batting average of 0.203 in 103 games, 3 homers, 19 RBIs, 37 points, an OPS of 0.675, and Moon Dong-ju had an average ERA of 5.65 with 1 win, 3 losses and 2 holds in 13 games.
Kim Do-young rose to the batting title in the demonstration game, but tasted the bitterness of a pro on the stage. After continuing to revise his batting form, he got a sense of the end of the season, but there was a late side. Still, he was attached to the first team throughout the season in the evaluation that he is a rookie level who is out of defense and running. In mid-August, due to a palm injury, he was recognized as a regular in the 1st team except for a period of absence from the 1st team for a while.
Moon Dong-ju left the team due to two injuries during the spring camp and in the middle of the season. He went through the bullpen and took starting classes, leaving behind virtually meaningless records. Both of them were pushed out of the Rookie of the Year competition, and they looked like ’empty carts making noise’. And he is preparing for his second season.
This year is a different sign. Kim Do-young is ready to make the batting form he established at the end of last season completely his own. The height of his arm is lowered, but he is preparing to respond quickly by adjusting the swing trajectory. Moon Dong-ju is taking starting pitcher lessons step by step.
On the 8th (hereafter Korean time), Kim Do-young said, “Dong-ju and I say, ‘Let’s do well with each other’ at KIA’s spring camp magazine, Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA. It’s not good to compare when you can’t do both. If possible, it’s better to talk while both are doing well.”
The two know that they are destined to be compared last year and in the future as well. If so, it means that we should do well in both to make the game interesting. Moon Dong-ju also agreed with Kim Do-young. This year, Kim Do-young is the starting third baseman and Moon Dong-ju is aiming to enter the back of the starting lineup.
KIA’s choice for the summer of 2021 is still difficult to decide. We need to look at it from a long-term perspective. If both are successful and KIA and Hanwha can be fattened up, it will be good for Korean baseball.