'LG Catcher's Secret Weapon in the Peach Clock Era' Kim Sung-woo "I'm Confident in Songu"

The LG Twins won their first Korean Series title in 29 years in the 2023 season. Now the goal is dynasty. To achieve this, there is a problem that needs to be solved. It is to strengthen the depth of the catching staff. They have Park Dong-won (33) and backup Heo Do-hwan (39), but they're old and in need of a third catcher.

Fortunately, a new secret weapon has emerged in the LG second team. Kim Sung-woo (20) showed his potential in the Futures League with his excellent defense. We caught up with him at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 14th to get his thoughts on baseball in 2023.

After a disappointing 2022 season, Kim grows into the second team's starting catcher in 2023

Kim Sung-woo, the seventh overall pick in the 022nd rookie draft, appeared in just one game for the second team in 2022, his first year as a professional. He was plagued by injuries and never got a chance to showcase his skills.

However, Kim developed into a de facto second team catcher in 2023 with solid defense. In his sophomore season, he played 57 games in the Futures League. That's a huge jump considering he only played in one game in 2022. The key was creating his own routine.

"First of all, I tried to keep the same routine," says Kim. I woke up a little earlier than everyone else in the morning, took a sauna, and ate a big breakfast. Then, I did a program that fit my routine, checked my body condition, and went out to the ballpark." "That way, I didn't get sick much over the course of the season," he said.

Kim had an encouraging season. However, his batting performance wasn't what he expected. In 2023, he struggled in the Futures League, batting .252 with one home run, nine RBIs, a .330 on-base percentage, and a .342 slugging percentage. Neither contact nor power was a strength. This was disappointing considering he had a .375 batting average and .998 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) as a senior at Baejae High School.

63.6% stolen base rate in 2023, LG's secret weapon to shine in the PitchClock era

On the other hand, Kim Sung-woo's defense shined. He gave pitchers a sense of security with his reliable blocking, and his stolen base intelligence was unrivaled. From the first half of the season, he kept stealing bases and posted a 63.6% stolen base rate in 2023. Yang Ji Woo, who led the first team in stolen bases in 2023, had a 48.2 percent stolen base rate. Sung-woo Kim surpassed that, albeit in the Futures League.

The key to his stolen base rate is his quick pop time (the time between receiving a pitch and reaching second base). Kim's pop is in the 1.9-second range. Considering that most catchers in the KBO have pop times in the 2-second range, this makes him a "laser thrower."I used to be confident with my pitches. In terms of defense, I think I have my own mechanism now," he said, adding, "When (my pop time) is good, it's in the low 1.8s. On average, it's 1.9," he said, expressing strong confidence in his stolen base defense.

Kim has his own specialty when it comes to stealing bases, especially against lefties. He quickly moves his body to the outside of the left-handed batter's box, then lunges forward and throws the ball with momentum. In doing so, he sends a hard throw to second base.

If you were to try this move, you'd have to increase your changeup time (the time between the changeup and throwing motion). However, Kim minimizes this with his quick footwork. This allows him to deliver a strong, accurate pitch to second base with a quick pop time.

"As a left-hander, there's a lot of space outside. I wanted to utilize that space. So I think it's a little easier to prevent stolen bases when a left-hander comes in than a right-hander," he said of his weapon.

This ability will be very useful in the era of the pitch clock starting in the 2024 season. Pitch clocks require pitchers to pitch within a time limit. This is very unfavorable for stolen bases. When pitchers are trying to hold runners in check, the most effective pattern they can use is to hold the ball longer. In the era of the pitch clock, this pattern cannot be used. Catchers' throwing ability will become even more important.

Kim Sung-woo has already experienced pitch-clock at Icheon Champions Park, the home stadium of the LG Second Division, in the 2023 season, and still managed to post a 63.6 percent stolen base rate. "From the time I heard (about the pitch clock), I thought it would be an advantage for me," Kim smiled.

A breakout season at the 2023 Asian Baseball Championship bodes well for 2024

Kim Sung-woo has emerged as a "secret weapon" for the LG catching staff in the 2024 season. Kim Ki-yeon, who served as a backup catcher for LG's first team in 2023, was selected by the Doosan Bears in the second round of the draft. Kim had a great opportunity to compete with veteran catcher Heo Do-hwan for the backup position.

In this situation, Kim Sung-woo showed that he has developed his batting ability, which was lacking at the 2023 Asian Baseball Championship. After a multi-hit game in the opening game against Chinese Taipei, Kim batted .400 (6-for-15) with an OPS of .867 over the course of the tournament. His contact-oriented swing paid off, boding well for his 2024 season."The Taiwanese starter's pitches were good, and I thought I wouldn't be able to hit them if I hit both fastballs and changeups, so I just went for the fastball and it worked," Kim said, adding, "After the multi-hit game against Taiwan, my batting average went up."

"I didn't know what direction I wanted to go (this season) and what I wanted to do at the plate. After the final training camp and this tournament, I realized what direction I needed to go," he said. "I've been taking full swings. I thought that would be my strength. But as the season went on, I changed my mind. I realized that I'm not a home run hitter, so I switched to focusing on making contact. I think it paid off this time," he added.

LG hopes to win the title again in 2024. To build a dynasty, the team will have to deal with the pitch-clock era. That's why Kim Sung-woo, who had a 63.6% stolen base rate in 2023, is becoming increasingly valuable. It will be interesting to see if Kim can be the spearhead of the LG dynasty in 2024.

https://www.casinosite777.top/%EB%B0%94%EC%B9%B4%EB%9D%BC%EC%82%AC%EC%9D%B4%ED%8A%B8.html
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/2023년-12월-먹튀검증-안전놀이터-토토사이트-순위-추천-top15-news-334143
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/2023-년-바카라-사이트-추천-실시간-에볼루션-바카라사이트-순위-top15-news-334941
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/2023년-11월-메이저-토토사이트-순위-추천-토토-안전놀이터-top15-news-332207
https://www.outlookindia.com/2023년-11월-스포츠-토토사이트-순위-및-추천-사설토토-먹튀검증-top15-news-328577