Tae-kyun Kim (kimta02)
From BR Bullpen
Tae-kyun Kim also transliterated as Tae-gyun Kim
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 182 lb.
- High School Cheonan North High School???
Tae-kyun Kim is a first baseman with the Hanwha Eagles. In the 2001 World Junior Championship, he hit .433/?/.833 with 3 HR, possibly tying Pedro Rodriguez and Dae-ho Lee for the most. His 12 runs possibly tied Russell Martin for the lead. He made a big splash out of high school, batting .335/.436/.649 as a rookie in 2001 with 20 home runs in 88 games. He won the Korea Baseball Organization Rookie of the Year award that season. He did not qualify for the batting title due to not enough playing time, but had he done so, he would have tied Felix Jose and Jay Davis for 4th in the Korea Baseball Organization. During the 2001 Baseball World Cup, Kim was 2 for 7 (both doubles) with 2 walks as a backup 1B/DH. In 2002, Kim hit .255/.347/.362 with 103 strikeouts in a sophomore slump.
At age 21, Tae-kyun produced at a .319/.424/.572 clip, bouncing back in fine form. He hit 31 homers, drove in 95 and drew 79 walks. In the 2003 Baseball World Cup, Kim hit .353/.450/.647 with 10 runs in 9 games. In 2004, the young slugger batted .323/.412/.529 with 23 home runs and 106 RBI. He tied Byung-kyu Lee for fourth in average. The next year, he won a Gold Glove at first base while hitting .317/.401/.547 with 33 doubles, 23 HR and 100 RBI. He was third in the KBO in average behind Byung-kyu Lee and Jay Davis.
Kim played for South Korea in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and went 0 for 1 with two walks and a run as a pinch-hitter, backing up Seung-yeop Lee at first base. In the regular 2006 season, the Hanwha homer hitter slipped to a .291/.405/.447 line with just 13 homers, though he did draw 82 walks. Through 2006, Kim has hit .308/~.402/.518 in 703 games, with 117 HR, 372 walks and 462 RBI.
Sources: KBO player page, Korean wikipedia entry, 2002-2006 Baseball Almanacs, World Baseball Classic website, IBAF site
