Translation result. By Kang Yoon-sik, Sports Seoul — Kim Do-young, 23, is giving KIA a different look this season. Installed in the cleanup spot, he’s delivered immediate results and now leads the league in home runs. That kind of production is what separates a superstar from the rest.Before the season started, KIA’s biggest concern was the lineup’s drop-off after long-time centerpiece Choi Hyung-woo left in free agency for Samsung. Losing a proven middle-of-the-order bat left manager Lee Beom-ho with a significant question to solve. One of Lee’s answers coming into the year was “4-Doyoung”—moving Kim into the No. 4 spot. Kim’s 2024 season, when he became the youngest player to post 30 homers and 30 steals and hit 38 homers overall, made him an obvious candidate for that role.Na Sung-bum opened the season in cleanup but struggled, hitting just .214. Herald Castro followed but didn’t provide the needed pop either. On the 8th in Gwangju against Samsung, Kim slid into the cleanup slot and has stayed there since. The move paid off immediately. Kim belted his second homerof the season in that game and has been launching long balls regularly since. He now has eight homers, one more than KT’s Jang Sung-woo (7) and ahead of LG’s Austin Dean and Hanwha’s Moon Hyun-bin (6).Overall batting average isn’t eye-popping—Kim is at .243 for the year—but it rises to .267 when he’s hitting cleanup. The more telling figure is the power jump: his slugging climbs from .425 as the No. 3 hitter to an impressive .733 in the cleanup spot. Kim has long been recognized for his clutch hitting. In his breakout 2024 season he hit .317 with runners in scoring position; this year he’s even better, posting a .370 average in those situations. When the team needs runs, he’s the one delivering.During spring training, when the cleanup question was hotly debated, Kim kept it simple: “I don’t mind. I’ll do whatever they ask.” The team put him in the cleanup role based on need, and he’s handled it with maturity and power. He’s proving why he’s a cornerstone for KIA. skywalker@sportsseoul.com
By Kang Yoon-sik, Sports Seoul — Kim Do-young, 23, is giving KIA a different look this season. Installed in the cleanup spot, he’s delivered immediate results and now leads the league in home runs. That kind of production is what separates a superstar from the rest.Before the season started, KIA’s biggest concern was the lineup’s drop-off after long-time centerpiece Choi Hyung-woo left in free agency for Samsung. Losing a proven middle-of-the-order bat left manager Lee Beom-ho with a significant question to solve.
One of Lee’s answers coming into the year was “4-Doyoung”—moving Kim into the No. 4 spot. Kim’s 2024 season, when he became the youngest player to post 30 homers and 30 steals and hit 38 homers overall, made him an obvious candidate for that role.Na Sung-bum opened the season in cleanup but struggled, hitting just .214. Herald Castro followed but didn’t provide the needed pop either. On the 8th in Gwangju against Samsung, Kim slid into the cleanup slot and has stayed there since.
The move paid off immediately. Kim belted his second homerof the season in that game and has been launching long balls regularly since. He now has eight homers, one more than KT’s Jang Sung-woo (7) and ahead of LG’s Austin Dean and Hanwha’s Moon Hyun-bin (6).Overall batting average isn’t eye-popping—Kim is at .243 for the year—but it rises to .267 when he’s hitting cleanup. The more telling figure is the power jump: his slugging climbs from .425 as the No. 3 hitter to an impressive .733 in the cleanup spot.
Kim has long been recognized for his clutch hitting. In his breakout 2024 season he hit .317 with runners in scoring position; this year he’s even better, posting a .370 average in those situations. When the team needs runs, he’s the one delivering.During spring training, when the cleanup question was hotly debated, Kim kept it simple: “I don’t mind. I’ll do whatever they ask.” The team put him in the cleanup role based on need, and he’s handled it with maturity and power. He’s proving why he’s a cornerstone for KIA. skywalker@sportsseoul.com
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