Doosan Express rookie Kim Taek-yeon (19) was named the best player of the spring camp.

“The Bears will return home to Incheon International Airport (Flight OZ157) on March 6 after a 34-day spring camp,” the team said in a statement.

The first camp in Sydney, Australia, which began on Feb. 1, focused on technical and tactical training, weight training, and two blue-and-white games. The team then played a total of five games, including four games against the Nippon Professional Baseball Team and one blue-and-white game, in the second camp in Miyazaki, Japan.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the camp, selected by the coaching staff under Lee Seung-yeop, was Kim Min-hyuk, a catcher, and Kim Taek-yeon, a pitcher.

Kim batted 4-for-19 with two home runs and eight RBIs in seven games.

Kim Taek-yeon appeared in four games and pitched 4⅓ innings, allowing one hit, walking four, striking out eight and posting a zero earned run average.

“We successfully completed the first and second camps without a single dropout,” said Lee. It was possible thanks to the hard work of the players, coaching staff, and staff.” “Now the real battle begins. Everyone will prepare thoroughly and make sure that we will be able to show a good appearance from March 23,” said Kim.

Yasoo MVP Kim Min-hyuk said, “I had a lot of fun playing baseball throughout the camp. I’m more satisfied with my mental growth than my batting record.” “We finished the camp in the direction we wanted. I will continue with my current mindset and only think about showing good performance in front of the fans.”

Pitcher MVP Kim Taek-yeon said, “I didn’t expect it at all. I’ll take it as a sign to do well in the future.” “Camp is a process. We’re doing well as we prepared, 스포츠토토 but we shouldn’t be satisfied. We will thoroughly prepare for the rest of the process to show a better performance in the regular season.”

Kim made a relief appearance in the special matchup against the SoftBank Hawks at the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan, on March 3 and threw 1 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-strikeout, 15-pitch relief.

Kim was called upon by manager Lee Seung-yeop with runners on first and second in the bottom of the fourth inning, trailing 1-3.

The first batter the 19-year-old rookie faced was SoftBank’s No. 4 hitter, Hotaka Yamakawa. The three-time Nippon Professional Baseball home run champion was a fearsome home run hitter, but the rookie didn’t falter and induced a foul fly to the catcher in just two pitches. The inning was over.

Kim took the mound again in the bottom of the fifth inning and sent the SoftBank bats back to the dugout. She needed 12 pitches to get three outs. Two batters later, he struck out Inoue with a heavy fastball.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Kim turned the baton over to Park Chi-guk and threw a perfect game with a fastball that topped out at 152 kilometers, a curveball, and a slider. His slider, which is his main weapon, reached 137 kilometers. It was a solid outing for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft class.

After finishing ninth in the inaugural 2022 season, Doosan selected Incheon High School right-hander Kim Taek-yeon with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2024 KBO Draft.

Doosan welcomed the first-rounder by hand-printing a home jersey with Kim’s name on the number 2024, an unusual move at the time. It was a glimpse of the club’s expectations for Kim.

Kim is a right-handed fireballer with a four-seam fastball that sits in the low 150s.

He also has a reliable fastball with good control. Last year, he was dominant in the amateur ranks, going 7-1 with a 1.13 ERA, 97 strikeouts, and a 0.66 WHIP in 13 games and 64⅓ innings, and at the U-18 Baseball World Cup, he threw a five-game, 247-pitch shutout over eight days to help South Korea win the bronze medal. More than his pitching, Kim garnered attention for his abuse controversy.

Kim took part in some final workouts at Icheon Bears Park in November of last year, coached by Lee Seung-yup. He only threw two half-pitching sessions due to the aftermath of the U-18 Baseball World Cup, but he also participated in weight training, catching, and fielding drills, working with Doosan seniors he had only seen on TV.

Recognized for both his ability and potential, Kim, along with teammate Jeon Damin (outfielder, 6th round), headed to the first team’s spring training camp in Sydney, Australia, to prepare for his debut season. Under the systematic management of the club, Kim gradually improved his pace and was honored as the camp’s best player at the second spring camp in Miyazaki, Japan.

Doosan will begin its final tune-up with an exhibition game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Icheon Bears Park on May 9th.