After the spring camp, LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop poured out praise on the veteran, who was sluggish last year. In order to achieve the goal of winning the championship, the main player's performance must be supported, because he was pleased with the veteran who was sweating to rebound.

Kim Hyun-soo (37) is one of the veterans praised by manager Yeom and is a big part of LG's farming this year.먹튀검증

He played in 137 games last year and hit .294 with 152 hits, eight homers, 69 RBIs, 61 runs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.775.

Following the 2023 season (batting average of 0.293 143 hits, six homers, 88 RBIs, 53 runs scored, and OPS of 0.747), which was effectively determined by the team's overall victory, the team displayed performance that did not match its reputation as a "hitting machine." It fell far short of the 0.330 batting average that Yeom had expected.

For this reason, I spent the off-season more strongly than any other year. When he left the country for spring camp in January, he strengthened his will to rebound, saying, "I've been told to retire for two years, but I have to do well so that the sound can fit in."

First of all, results were clearly displayed in the camp. "Kim Hyun-soo trained with Park Hae-min and Oh Ji-hwan by establishing his own batting skills, and those parts that he modified showed well in practice games," Yeom said.

"In order to win the championship, the main players must play their part without injury and have a new face," Yeom said. "Veterans trained hard with strong impetus from the failures they experienced last year, which helped the team prepare for this season."

"I finished the spring camp well. I am satisfied with the preparation process," Kim said. "I made changes (to play better), but as a result, it didn't go well. I realized what was the problem and headed to the camp, so I made all the better preparation."

"I found what I've been doing before again. I think the coach said good things after seeing that," he said with a smile.

◇ More important than 30% batting average

The part that Kim Hyun-soo paid most attention to was to break the habit of bending his left hand when hitting. This is to compensate for the large number of ground balls to second base.

"My performance so far has not been bad. I got a lot better during the training. I plan to supplement my performance for the rest of the year until the opening of the regular season," he said.

LG selected six players for each part after the first spring camp in Arizona last month, and Kim Hyun-soo was named along with his juniors in their 20s.

Kim Hyun-soo smiled awkwardly, saying, "I received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the first time since my professional debut."

As for the assessment, "Doesn't it mean that the camp training was that good?" he showed a humble attitude, saying, "You may have liked it because your performance was so bad over the past two years, or you may have really trained well. We will know the results later on."

Kim does not set personal records ahead of the season. He could make mistakes in the entire season if he pays attention to such figures.

"I will continue to play as much as I want in line with team play this season as well. Rather than batting average of 300, I will weigh what is most important in my position and fill in that part," he said.

◇Careful about participating in the 2026 WBC

There is a growing argument that baseball should form a baseball team with the best players regardless of age at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).

South Korean baseball's international competitiveness has declined significantly, failing to win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, after being eliminated in the first round of the WBC in 2013, 2017, and 2023.

Kim Hyun-soo, who mentioned the possibility of retiring from the national team after the 2023 WBC, showed a cautious attitude toward the national team.

"I hope the national baseball team will show good performance in the WBC next year in harmony with the old and new. However, just because I want to participate in the tournament doesn't mean I can participate. If we make a good performance this season, anyone will say that we have to play," he said.

"Right now, the priority is to find the right spot rather than the selection of the national team. Then, I will think about selecting the national team," he added.