Professional baseball player Kim Min-seok (21) of Doosan Bears expressed his ambition to play as the team's new leadoff hitter.

Kim Min-seok is an outfield prospect who joined Lotte as the 3rd overall pick in the 1st round of the 2023 rookie draft. Displaying potential during his debut season with a batting average of .255 (102 hits in 400 at-bats), 3 home runs, 39 RBIs, 53 runs, and 16 stolen bases with an OPS of .652, Kim Min-seok struggled in his second-year season, recording a batting average of .211 (16 hits in 76 at-bats), 6 RBIs, 14 runs, and an OPS of .544 over 41 games.

Kim Min-seok, hit hard by the second-year jinx, was traded to Doosan last November as part of a 3-2 trade with Jeong Chul-won and Jeon Min-jae, in exchange for Choi Woo-in and Chu Jae-hyun. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop noted Kim Min-seok’s potential and indicated that he would be given opportunities, assigning him the leadoff role for the season. Showing improvement with a batting average of .333 (10 hits in 30 at-bats), 4 RBIs, 4 runs, and 1 stolen base with an OPS of .800 in 9 spring training games, Kim Min-seok contributed significantly in the opening two games, maintaining a batting average of .333 (3 hits in 9 at-bats), 2 RBIs, and an OPS of .956.

In an interview on the 23rd, Kim Min-seok reflected on his first opening game experience, saying, "I was quite nervous at first. (Drew) Anderson’s pitches were better than I expected, and I couldn’t catch my timing. When I hit a triple, I felt a bit more accustomed to the pitch and wanted to at least tie the game since it was a one-run difference. I stepped up to the plate thinking I would pass it along to the next batter, and I think the good timing I had helped lead to a favorable outcome."

Wearing the Doosan uniform and performing in front of a packed crowd, Kim Min-seok said, "Honestly, I was quite nervous at first, and I felt I struggled a bit when the first ball came my way. After a long time making a starting appearance, I felt a bit fatigued after the game and it was tougher than usual," he laughed.

Taking on the significant role of leadoff hitter, Kim Min-seok stated, "I believe as the top batter signaling the start of a game, I can influence the team's atmosphere. I can’t always hit well. However, I try to maintain my swing even when I get out. I think that will lift the team’s spirit and pressure the opposing pitcher a bit. I will confidently swing from the first pitch."

Recently, powerful leadoff hitters like Kang Baek-ho (KT) and Hong Chang-ki (LG) have been drawing attention in the KBO league. Kim Min-seok remarked, "I’m not yet a player who can be compared to those senior players, but my goal is to follow them as much as possible while finding and maintaining my own direction and color."

After donning the Doosan uniform, Kim Min-seok, who is loved as the "Jamsil Idol" following Jeong Soo-bin, emphasized, "If I play well, I believe the fans’ love will naturally follow. I focus on baseball, aiming for good results; if the team performs well, popularity will naturally follow."

Kim Min-seok, who attracted attention due to his trade with Jeong Chul-won, said, "I don’t particularly keep track of Jeong Chul-won’s performance. Now that the pennant race has started, I’ll focus on which opponent we are facing and what kind of baseball we can win. Naturally, I want to show good performance after coming via trade. However, if I let desire get ahead of me, it could lead to impatience. I learned a significant lesson from experiencing this last year. While I want to do well again this year, I will approach baseball with a more relaxed mindset."

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