"Because you did a great job, Doyoung". You're a great pitcher…KIA Recognizes 'Superstar' Value
"Because you did a great job, Doyoung". You're a great pitcher…KIA Recognizes 'Superstar' Value
Blog Article
"Superstar" Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), who made 2024 his year, once again wrote a new history.
According to the Kia club, Kim completed his contract at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the afternoon of the 20th for 500 million won, an increase of 400 million won from last season's salary (100 million won). The club announced the news of Kim's salary contract in a press release the following day.안전놀이터
With this, Kim broke the four-year salary record in the KBO League. The previous record was 390 million won for Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants, then Kiwoom Heroes) in 2020. On top of that, he even set a record for the highest increase rate in the club's history by showing a 400 percent increase rate. The previous record was 233.3 percent for Yang Hyeon-jong (120 million won → 400 million won) in 2015 and Choi Ji-min (30 million won → 100 million won) in 2024.
Kim Do-young recorded a batting average of 0.347, 38 homers, 109 RBIs, 40 steals, 143 points, a on-base percentage of 0.420, and a slugging percentage of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.067. By winning the regular season MVP and the Golden Glove third baseman category, he cleaned up the regret that he could not play the full-time season due to injury in 2023.
Kim Do-young's path was a new history. He broke several records, including the first monthly 10 home runs-10 steals in the KBO League, natural cycling hits, the youngest and youngest game 30 home runs-30 steals, 30 home runs-100 RBIs-100 points, and the most points scored in a single season.
On top of that, Kim even acquired his first Korean Series title ring. In the Korean Series against the Samsung Lions, Kim had four hits in five games, 17 at-bats for a batting average of 0.235 with one homer, five RBIs, and three runs, contributing to his team's overall win in five games without fail.
Notably, Kim contributed significantly to the team throughout the season, not only in performance but also in marketing. The team had overwhelming sales of its uniforms, attracting many fans. KIA was also well aware of this.
Raising the annual salary was a matter of course. The key was the amount of money. Kia had to think about players who would join the free agent market after the end of the 2025 season along with competitive equalizer (salary cap) in this winter's salary negotiations. It had no choice but to make excessive investment.
Nonetheless, Kia had to admit Kim's value. "As Kim has played an active role, it is the club's policy to treat him fairly," an official at Kia said early this month. "Kim will also terminate his salary contract before he leaves the camp."
Kia has prepared a huge gift for Kim, which is the highest salary in his fourth year. "[Kim's contract] went well from the beginning," another club official said. "Since Kim was so good, it is fair to say that the club treated the player with due respect."
"My goal for this season is to win both as a team and as a person, to win the title," Kim said. "I think a player can shine only when the team does well. My goal is to continue to work hard so that my team can win. I want to continue to contribute to my team without getting hurt," he said. "I will work hard to become a player that is worth less than 1 billion won."
Meanwhile, Kia plans to renew its contract with the team by July 22. Kia will depart for Los Angeles through Incheon International Airport on July 22 and 23, and will hold its first spring camp in Irvine, California from July 25.