Kim Taek-yeon (19, Doosan Bears) is the best discovery in the Doosan Bears spring camp.

Doosan nominated the first round of the 2024 rookie draft (second overall) and expected, "He is a player who can become a stopper (finisher) in two to three years."

Kim Taek-yeon's pitching and gut were better than expected. He seemed like a rookie in his first bullpen session, saying he was nervous, but he threw his ball confidently afterward.

In a game against the Japanese team, Kim displayed even more impressive value. In a game against Softbank's second team on April 24, he struck out all three outs in one inning. In a pitching competition against the Seibu Lions at Sunmarin Stadium in Miyazaki, Japan, he overcame a crisis of first and third base with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning with two strikeouts when his team was tying 4-4.

In a special match against the Softbank Hawks at Pay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan, he caught three-time home run champion Hotaka Yamakawa on a foul fly.

During the camp, Kim pitched in four games and pitched in four ⅓, striking out eight with no hit, no run, and an earned run average (ERA). He was named MVP as a Japanese camp pitcher.

"As a pitcher, Kim Taek-yeon stood out," Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said. "As a rookie, I joined Doosan with my seniors from Feb. 1, and I was not intimidated at all and followed my routine as I had done since I was a student, showing off a really surprising pitch. I think Kim Min-hyuk and Kim Taek-yeon stood out in this camp."

Lee continued, "His ball power is strong, but his bold personality is his strength. In the game against Softbank, he posted the ball even in a crisis. I played with the former home run king, the fourth batter of the opponent team, and it was unusual. He is a highly rotatable pitcher even in ball power. Even if he throws a fast ball to a batter aiming for a fastball, he will not be attacked or hit hard."

"It was my first spring camp, and it's best to finish both the first and second rounds without getting hurt," Kim Taek-yeon said. "I'm satisfied because I can see the process of getting better and better." "The exercise was systematic, and I got used to it well and built my body without a hitch because my brothers and seniors helped me a lot. I feel that I'm getting better and I've come up a lot."

On how he felt about being named the camp MVP, he said, "I didn't set a specific goal. Rather than confidently playing each game and avoiding, trying to show courage like a rookie led to a good result. I got the MVP at the end, and I think it means to do well in the season. I think all this is a process to do well in the season. I'm not going to be satisfied with it now."

Kim Taek-yeon threw a ball with a maximum speed of 152 km/h in this spring camp. Above all, it drew admiration that the fast ball became the control.

"I'm in a competitive position. I have to show what I have. I feel like I raised my body a little bit early, but I raised it without any difficulties. I think it's okay because I'm preparing well without any pain," Kim said. "I don't set a target for (arrest), but I want to throw it up to 155 kilometers per hour. However, I'm not a pitcher who throws with care about my speed. My goal is, but I won't pay attention. I value the quality of the ball more."

Regarding his good performance in the game against the Japanese team, he said, "As Japanese batters generally had a high level of performance, I left the game feeling very nervous. When I threw my ball down without regret, I thought to myself that I should show my confident pitching, and show gutsy pitching. Certainly, Japanese batters had good contact and were rarely struck out. I learned a lot. It was a good experience."

When asked if Lee was in a critical situation against Softbank, Kim said, "I knew I was going to be a 4th hitter. I didn't expect it to be a critical situation. I felt good because I felt like I caught a hitter who had experience as a home run king. I pitched until the next inning to prepare well for what I was going to do without getting excited during the game," Kim said.

As for the situation in which the first batter faced a crisis of one out and runners on the first and third bases in the match against Seibu, he said, "When the first batter made a mistake, it was a 4-4 tie, so I thought I should try my best to block him as a walk-off runner. In the past, I thought about whether I could block him at a walk-off situation, but I couldn't on that day. This time, I have to block him unconditionally, and I can do it. Now that I have made up my mind, I think it was a good outcome. It was a good experience."

Manager Lee declined to comment on closer Kim Taek-yeon's story, saying, "I'll wait and see. I don't know what will happen in the future."

Certainly, Kim Taek-yeon is competitive as a closer. Kim Taek-yeon said, "I am confident that I will do well in any position if you leave it to me. I have to prepare accordingly as a player. If I go as a closer, I think I should do everything I can at the end. There is nothing burdensome about any position. However, it would be good if you let me be a closer."

Kim Taek-yeon cited "direct ball and belly" as her strengths.

People around him gave similar assessments. "Kim Taek-yeon is still young, but if she grows up well, she will be able to go to a big stage," catcher Yang Eui-ji said. "She doesn't look like a 19-year-old. She threw her own ball. I can see that Seung-hwan is competing like you. I think she is the best rookie that I have seen recently."

Kim Taek-yeon said, "I'm so grateful and honored that (Yang) Ji sunbaenim watched it like that. It's such an honor to have a name with Oh Seung-hwan, a Korean legend. It's too much. I think I need to work a little harder to match the evaluation. I have to do well."

This season's goal is to become a rookie king. "First of all, I want to stay healthy and stay professional for a year. Then, I will stay in the first division for a long time, and my ultimate goal is to become a rookie king. Rookie of the year is an award that anyone wants to win. I also want to win one."

The batter I want to face the most is SSG Landers Choi Jung, who has 458 home runs in total. He also ranked second in home runs last year with 29 arches. Now, if he shoots 10 home runs, he will become the hero of the most home runs by a KBO league batter in history.

Kim Taek-yeon said, "I've seen him a lot since I was a kid. He hits a lot of home runs and is good at it, so I want to experience that while dealing with him."

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