“He is the player the team needs.”
Samsung Lions Kim Dong-yeop (33) started as the designated hitter number 8 against the NC Dinos held at the Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 2nd. On this day, he went 4 at bats, 4 hits and 1 RBI, giving Samsung an 8-6 victory. Kim Dong-yeop showed a good hitting feeling in the opening series and started flapping his wings.
He had a good feel for his hitting throughout the game. In the 3rd inning, with the first base out, Kim Dong-yeop made a left-handed hit, reporting his first hit this season. He also put up an RBI in the 4th inning. With one out and second base, he hit a heavy hit to bring home a runner. In the third at-bat in the 6th inning, Kim Dong-yeop hit to the left and finished the game with 4 hits in the 8th inning with a double through the middle right.
Samsung is also pleased with Kim Dong-yeop’s performance. During the exhibition game, coach Park Jin-man said, “Kim Dong-yeop is a player the team needs. Kim Dong-yeop is also competing for a position. During his exhibition game, Kim Dong-yeop recorded 6 hits in 22 at-bats, including 1 home run, with a batting average of 0.273 and a slugging percentage of 0.500, gradually strengthening his position.
Kim Dong-yeop wore a blue uniform through the first triangular trade in the KBO League in 2019. Samsung, SK Wyverns, and Kiwoom Heroes participated in the trade, and Kim Dong-yeop moved from SK to Samsung. At this time, SK recruited Ko Jong-wook and Kiwoom Lee Ji-young to fill the positions they lacked. Samsung expected that it would build a stronger batting order with the addition of Kim Dong-yeop, who has long hitting power.
Samsung also enjoyed the trade effect for a while.먹튀검증 Kim Dong-yeop led the Samsung batting line with 21 homers batting average of 0.312 and slugging average of 0.508 in 115 games in the 2020 season. However, Kim Dong-yeop could not get out of the batting slump during the following two seasons, and spent more time in the second group. He only played 99 games during the 2021-2022 season, and left a shabby report card of batting average 0.232 (65 hits, 6 home runs in 280 at-bats), slugging percentage 0.346 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) 0.620.
But he has hopes that this year will be different. If Kim Dong-yeop shows the same form as in the 2021 season, he can lead Samsung’s central batting line. If that happens, you can even drop the label of a failed trade.