Seo-hyun Kim (19-Hanwha Eagles), a big-time rookie who garnered attention for his 160-kilometer fastball, has been sent back to the second team.
The Hanwha Eagles have removed right-hander Seo-hyun Kim from the first team roster ahead of their game against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Stadium on Monday.
The previous day (July 7), Kim appeared as a reliever in the bottom of the seventh inning against Doosan in Jamsil, but after getting leadoff hitter Jose Rojas to fly out to left field, he gave up a hard-hit ball to Park Kye-beom and a straight ball to Lee Yoo-chan. Hanwha eventually sent left-hander Kim Bum-soo to the mound, and Yang Ji Hyun’s double to left-center scored both of the runners Kim left on base, leaving Kim with two runs on two hits in ⅓ of an inning.
Selected by Hanwha with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 KBO First-Year Player Draft, Kim made a splash by signing a 500 million won contract. Although he didn’t make the opening roster, he made his debut on April 19 when he was named to the first team roster. He earned his first career save against Incheon SSG on April 12, but suffered a serious slump in June with a 16.88 ERA in four games. In 18 games this season, he has one save and a 5.60 ERA.
Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho explained his decision to send Kim down to the second team ahead of the game against Jamsil Doosan on the 8th, saying, “Yesterday (7th), he was throwing and coming down from the mound, and he was looking at his surroundings quite a lot. It’s not his usual style, but I sensed that he was having a hard time mentally, so I decided that he needed to make adjustments.”
He also hinted that Kim’s position might change in the future. Choi Won-ho said, “In the second team, he will also pitch as a starter. It doesn’t mean that he will change his position to a starter right away. It is difficult to proceed systematically if he only goes out as a bullpen pitcher in the second team. He’s a player we need to take special care of, and then we need to systematize his training.” The first step will be for Kim Seo-hyun to find his ‘aptitude’ perfectly in the second team.
Choi Won-ho also left a message for Kim Seo-hyun, saying, “I’m sure you will be the best pitcher in Korea in the future, along with (Moon) Dong-joo,” and that “going to the second team now to do maintenance is part of the process of growing into a superstar”. Will Kim Seo-hyun be able to come back with a more mature pitch after this trip to the second team?메이저놀이터
Meanwhile, on the same day, Hanwha designated left-hander Song Yoon-jun for assignment to the first team instead of sending Kim to the second team. Song was the star of Hanwha’s Northern League title last year in the Futures League, appearing in 38 games and pitching 51 innings, going 15-2 with one save and a 3.18 ERA. This year, he continued his strong play with a 1-6 record and a 0.98 ERA in 15 games with 18⅓ innings pitched. This is his first call-up to the first team this season.