Kim Dae-han ('Wheemun High School Ohtani') from Doosan Bears, who was demoted to the second team after failing to capitalize on the opportunity given by the acting manager, hit his first home run in just 4 games of the Futures League.
On the 19th, Kim Dae-han was selected as the 4th center fielder for the away game against KT Wiz in the 2025 Mediheal KBO Futures League at Iksan Stadium, and he accomplished 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 walk, and 1 score out of 4 at-bats.
In the first inning, tied at 0-0, Kim faced a chance with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd, but he ended the inning with a ground ball that resulted in a double play to the third baseman, second baseman, and first baseman, forcing an early end to the inning.
The second at-bat was different. Emerging as the lead-off batter in the 4th inning, trailing 0-2, he hit a home run to start the comeback. Facing Kwon Sung-jun with a 1 ball, 2 strikes count, he hit the 4th pitch for a 115-meter left-field home run. It was his 3rd home run of the Futures League season after being demoted from the first team on the 14th and then playing in 4 games.
Still trailing 1-2 in the 5th inning, with 2 outs and no runners, he managed to draw a walk against KT rookie Kim Jae-won, achieving a multi-get on base. He showed focus by watching 3 balls in a row after a foul on the 4th pitch, but Kim Dae-han's subsequent batter, Park Sung-jae, ended up striking out.
In the 8th inning, trailing 1-3 with no outs and a runner on 1st base, Kim faced KT Yuk Cheong-myung. As the runner on 1st, Lee Sun-woo, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, Kim aimed at the 7th pitch from Yuk Cheong-myung but hit a pop-up to the second baseman, missing an opportunity.
His final at-bat came in the 9th inning, trailing 4-5 with 2 outs and a runner on 2nd base. Facing a chance to tie the game, he swung boldly at the first pitch from Moon Yong-ik but ended up hitting a fly ball to the center fielder. Game over.
Doosan's acting manager Jo Sung-hwan informed Kim Dae-han on the 14th that he was being demoted to the second team after failing to capitalize on the opportunity given to him for two weeks.
Jo noted, "I couldn't meet Kim Dae-han directly, but I sent a message through the coaches. Of course, he must have felt pressure to produce results within a short opportunity. However, it would be unreasonable to keep giving chances to someone who can’t deliver results; it's a matter we must consider from a competitive standpoint."
Once known in Korea as Shohei Ohtani while at Wheemun High School, Kim Dae-han was selected by Doosan as a first-round pick in 2019. To make up for the struggles and injuries of the past six years, he has rapidly started preparing for the 2025 season. Having participated in the Phoenix instructional league in October and the Icheon finishing camp in November, he confirmed his goals for the upcoming season and sought SOS from former major leaguer Kang Jung-ho along with his senior Kim Jae-hwan, spending a significant amount of his own money to attend 'King Kang School' in Los Angeles. He successfully bulked up, gaining 7 kg, which has been a consistent task since his debut.
Kim Dae-han headed to Australia's Sydney spring camp a week earlier than the main squad. He volunteered for the advance team to hasten his learning of the new batting form he learned from Kang Jung-ho in the U.S. He expressed optimism for the outfield competition with his altered batting and mindset.
However, after successfully completing the training camp in Australia, Kim Dae-han was informed that he would not be attending the second camp in Japan's Miyazaki but would be going to the second team's Miyakojima camp. To make matters worse, he suffered an unexpected injury to his rectus abdominis, resulting in his failure to join the opening roster and forcing him to undergo rehabilitation until mid-May.
On the 30th of last month, Kim Dae-han finally received a call from former manager Lee Seung-yup and hit 3 hits out of 6 at-bats during the three-game series against Kiwoom. On June 3, acting manager Jo also gave him an opportunity with the request to "just do your swing", but Kim struggled with a batting average of .182, making only 4 hits out of 22 at-bats throughout June, failing to get a hit after his home run against the Lotte Giants on the 6th.
Jo emphasized, "I want the players to create their own opportunities. If it seems that they no longer fit the Futures League, the only place for that player should be the first team." He noted, "In the long term, we need a right-handed outfielder within the team. Kim Dae-han must go with us in some way; he is a player we need desperately. Therefore, I urged him to step up," hoping that Kim's demotion to the second team would be a step back for two steps forward.
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