When asked to give a word of advice to younger players aiming to become the next Kim Jae-ho, the resurrected “baseball genius” (38, Dusan Bears) said, “I hope you can be a little meaner”.
It means to be meaner than anyone else and do your best when playing baseball.
This is especially true for a player who, in his prime, was known as one of the KBO’s best shortstops and was the centerpiece of the Doosan dynasty.
Of course, Doosan’s starting shortstop candidates will have to outperform not only each other, but also Kim Jae-ho. After struggling in recent years, Kim Jae-ho began his resurgence in May and jumped into the starting shortstop race.
He only played in four games in May, but he has a .375 batting average. After being called up to the first team on the 23rd, the difference is clear. On May 25 against the Jamsil Samsung Lions, he saved his team from defeat with a dramatic walk-off hit in the 11th inning of extra innings. On the 26th, he didn’t have a hit against the SSG Landers, but he drew two walks.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop, who had been struggling to find a replacement for Kim Jae-ho at shortstop, is giving him a chance to start again now that Kim has made a full recovery.
Jae-ho, who is in the final year of his three-year contract with Doosan, is motivated.
“I’m past my prime and there are many junior players, but I want to be a player who can endure such a situation. I want to stay in the first team as long as possible and help the team,” he said, expressing his desire to compete for a starting spot.
However, Kim Jae-ho is also approaching 40. For the sake of the team’s future, he would like to see someone succeed him.
Currently, Ahn Jae-seok, Lee Yoo-chan, and Park Kye-beom are being considered for the starting shortstop position, but none of them have gained an edge in the competition. The offense still needs to improve.
“For those players, there is an empty spot where they can make a mark,” said Kim Jae-ho, adding, “I want them to be meaner. If you want to be mean, you have to be good first,” he emphasized.
Kim Jae Ho continued, “Everyone is too nice, so their performance is weak. I want them to be full of fighting spirit, but because they are young, they seem to have a lot of fear of failure. Then it’s over before you can show it. You have to overcome it with mental strength. Don’t be afraid of failure and don’t be weak,” he emphasized. 먹튀검증
All of their advice comes from their own experiences. Kim Jae-ho, who joined Doosan in 2004, also had his share of trials and tribulations in the early days of his career, before earning a full-time starting spot in 2014.
“I was told that I was good at baseball since I was a kid, but I struggled a lot when I came to the pros,” he said. “I was also a good kid, and (Son) Si-heon, who was a starter at the time, wanted my brother to do well. This is what it’s like to lose. Even if the juniors don’t show it on the outside, I hope they grind their teeth on the inside.”