"I will do well this year."

Pro baseball KIA Tigers Choi Hyung-woo (41) has a keen eye for players as much as he has established himself in batting. Last year, he analyzed Kim Do-young’s swing and predicted a big success. This year, he praised the insane power of Major League Baseball's 88-home run star Patrick Wisdom and even forecasted that there wouldn't be many Samjin, which has actually proven to be accurate.

He also identified another player. Infield backup Kim Kyu-sung (28) is a veteran in his 10th year. He has been specialized in defense rather than batting. He has been waiting as a substitute fielder or pinch runner. However, he shared with those around him that "Kyu-sung will show a much improved performance in batting this year," indicating that his batting has definitely changed.

He joined in 2016 and only made his debut in 2020. At that time, head coach Matt Williams selected him for the first team based on his defensive skills. He played in 103 games and recorded 182 plate appearances. His batting average was only .178. Until 2022, he had a batting average under .100, which contributed to only 54 games played. In 2023, he had a slight rebound with a batting average of .234 in 99 games and 177 plate appearances, but he only recorded 15 plate appearances in 27 games for the 2024 season.

Nonetheless, he was selected for the Korean Series in the 2024 season. His versatility as a substitute fielder and pinch runner was utilized. He played in four games and scored once. Until last year, his career batting average remained at .199. Choi Hyung-woo forecasted that this .100 batter would improve. He certainly sparked expectations with a confident swing during spring camp.

He showcased sharpness in the exhibition games. He displayed a high-quality swing with 7 hits out of 12 at-bats, resulting in a batting average of .583. He had good timing and made solid contact with an aggressive swing. Naturally, he survived the competition for the opening roster. As his position is as a backup appearing in the late innings, he had fewer opportunities to display powerful batting.

Coincidentally, with the injury of starting third baseman Kim Do-young and starting shortstop Park Chan-ho, opportunities naturally arose. On March 25, he was substituted as a leadoff hitter for Park Chan-ho, who left the game due to a knee injury while attempting to steal a base against Kiwoom in Gwangju, and he delivered a multi-hit game, scoring twice. On the 26th against Kiwoom, he hit a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. On the 27th against Kiwoom, he recorded an RBI single to right field with the bases loaded in the fourth inning with two outs, trailing 0-1.

He was strong in clutch situations. Throughout the three-game series against Hanwha last weekend, he recorded hits in every game. On March 30, facing a sweep, he made a valuable two-base hit to the left-center gap with one out and a runner on second in the seventh inning, scoring himself as the team led 3-2. He has recorded hits in six consecutive games, with a batting average of .400, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. He has certainly filled the gap left by Park Chan-ho in batting.

At the same time, two errors made him sigh. However, it could be a rite of passage early in the season. Last November, during the Okinawa finishing camp, he sweat it out receiving 250 defensive fungoes daily. Sweat does not betray effort. If he gains more playing time, he is expected to show stable performance in defense as well. Once Park Chan-ho returns, he will go back to the bench, but his ability to be a super backup who also performs well in batting is already a great gain for the team.

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