Surgery, surgery, surgery. He was drafted three times, but he never gave up on baseball. Kim Sun-dong, 24, an outfielder who joined the Hanwha Eagles, his “hometown team,” dreams of becoming a franchise player.
For Kim, who grew up watching Hanwha as a child in Daejeon and dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, the sport was a series of trials and tribulations. The first was when he injured his ankle in a practice game before his junior season at Daejeon High School and had surgery.
“I had one paid season in middle school, so I couldn’t afford to sit out another year,” says Kim. After the surgery, I rehabilitated for two months and played too much. Because I was in a hurry, my grades didn’t improve and I didn’t get the rookie designation,” he recalls.
“But I wasn’t too frustrated. He didn’t expect to be drafted because of his poor performance, and decided to try again in college. 안전놀이터 He enrolled in a two-year junior college and set his sights on the 2022 draft. He played through a dislocated shoulder in a fielding drill and then dislocated it again while stealing a base during a game in his sophomore year.
When he was told in the hospital that he would need surgery, he was faced with the prospect of missing another draft.
“I put everything into it, thinking that I would quit after two years, and then another injury knocked me down. My parents were very sad. “I was so close to quitting baseball, but then I got a military exemption (for the surgery). I decided to rehabilitate and challenge myself one more time,” Kim said.
He transferred to Wonkwang University, where he rehabilitated and returned for his senior year. He struggled for more than a year, but in his senior year, he realized his potential. In 14 games, he batted .476 (17-for-50) with one home run, 12 RBI, seven doubles, 13 walks, 10 strikeouts, a .540 slugging percentage, and a 1.106 OPS. He also excelled on the offensive side of the ball as a center fielder. “I enjoyed baseball with the mindset of trying it without regret. I enjoyed playing baseball and my performance improved as I enjoyed the game itself,” he said.
However, even in the 2024 draft, Kim was overlooked. By the 11th round, 110 players had been selected, but none of the 10 teams called his name. “I had high expectations, but my name wasn’t called until the end. I played baseball in the fourth grade with no regrets, thinking that if it didn’t work out, I would quit, and I thought it would be okay if I wasn’t drafted. But when my name wasn’t called, I thought of my parents, and I was very upset,” he recalls.
Three times he went undrafted. But one last chance awaited.
Two weeks after the draft, Hanwha invited him to try out for the team. He showed everything he had in the air during the tryout in Seosan, and that evening, he received the news that he was accepted. It wasn’t a draft pick, but it was the fulfillment of a longtime dream of playing professionally.
It was even better that the team was Hanwha. “I’ve been a Hanwha fan since I was a kid,” says Kim. I’ve been watching and supporting Hanwha since my current coaches were players. I liked all the Hanwha players, but I liked Coach Kang Dong-woo the most, so I sang a lot of cheers for the first baseman. I also liked Coach Choo Seung-woo and Coach Ko Dong-jin.” “There is also CEO Song Kwang-min. I had shoulder rehabilitation at his center, and he helped me a lot,” he said.
Kim, who joined the Futures spring camp in Kochi, Japan, as a developmental player, is known for his accurate contact, quick feet and wide defensive range in center field. “My goal is to show my strengths in the camp and get the coaches’ attention, and then make it to the first team once. At the end of the season, 온라인카지노사이트 I want to follow the first team’s final camp and next year’s spring camp.” “The journey to the professional level has been difficult, but I think those times have become my weapon. I don’t get frustrated easily. I will be a player who survives until the end,” he said.