KIA Tigers will hold a spring camp at the Great Park Baseball Complex and Okinawa Kin Stadium in Irvine, California, USA, from the 25th to March 5th. Following the first combined win in seven years in the 2024 season, the team will be in hot water with the goal of winning two consecutive games.스포츠토토
In Irvine, physical and technical training sessions are held without any practice matches, while in Okinawa, training sessions are held five times. Thirty-eight of the players will participate in the spring camp. The team consists of 18 pitchers, three catchers, 10 infielders, and seven outfielders. Among the rookie players in 2025, pitcher Kim Tae-hyung who received the first round nomination is the only one on the list.
Another player on the roster is drawing attention. Outfielder Kim Seok-hwan is included. He has no record of playing in the first team last year. He only played 148 at-bats in 49 games in the Futures League. He only had a batting average of .235, with 25 RBIs and an OPS (long-base plus slugging percentage) of .725. He added his name to the roster of the spring camp following last year's finishing camp in Okinawa.
Kim Seok-hwan was once highly anticipated. He returned from military service in 2021 and bombed the Futures League, which sparked controversy as coach Matt Williams did not join the first team. He received a call-up at the end of the season and made his presence known by hitting long balls including home runs. He was evaluated as the second Lee Seung-yeop due to his stellar performance in exhibition games in the 2022 season. Manager Kim Jong-guk was appointed in a surprise move and played in the left field for the opening game along with rookie Kim Do-young (third baseman).
In the end, he failed to meet expectations and failed to survive in the first team. He recorded a poor batting average of 144 percent at 107 times at bat. The 2023 season saw further decline. He only posted a batting average of 130 percent from 21 times at bat in 12 games. In the Futures League, he boasted of his bombardment-level hit, but strangely, he failed to display his mettle when he moved to the first team. Eventually, he failed to appear in the first team in the 2024 season.
Kim Do-young, who received attention together, emerged as the best hitter in the KBO League in the 2024 season. So, his eyes on Kim Seok-hwan were all the more regretful. He became a mid-sized player in his ninth year as a member of the team. He was able to give up because he had no clear track record as a batter since joining the team, but he put him on the list of players on hold. He believes that he will surely unleash his potential.
Kia needs successors who will turn 41 this year to fixer Choi Hyung-woo and Na Sung-bum. That is why Lee Bum-ho and his coaches put Kim Seok-hwan on the list. When deciding which players to participate in the camp, Lee chose Kim Seok-hwan, excluding defensive geniuses Kim Ho-ryeong and substitute specialist Ko Jong-wook. He is apparently committed to giving it a chance to take another leap forward.
Furthermore, the release of Socrates Brito, a key outfield player who has performed steadily over the past three years, has created an outfield position. Na Sung-bum, Choi Won-joon, Lee Woo-sung, Lee Chang-jin, and Park Jung-woo are outfield resources for the first team this year. If Kim Seok-hwan shows his potential in spring camp and exhibition games, there could be more opportunities for the first team this year. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Seok-hwan will make significant progress in the spring camp.