Bears manager considering demoting slumping sophomore closer
Doosan Bears closer Kim Taek-yeon pitches against the Kiwoom Heroes during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Doosan Bears
With his sophomore closer Kim Taek-yeon struggling to recapture his dominant form from a season ago, Doosan Bears interim manager Cho Sung-hwan said Tuesday he will consider demoting the right-hander to the minor league at some point.
Cho spoke two days after Kim served up a walk-off hit to Im Ji-yeol of the Kiwoom Heroes in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Bears' 4-3 loss. It was the third time in four outings that Kim had allowed a run, and his ERA now sits at 3.67 through 54 innings — compared to a 2.08 ERA in 65 innings in 2024, when he was voted the Rookie of the Year in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
Kim has blown seven saves this season, two more than all of last year. And Cho blamed the 20-year-old pitcher's struggles on the pitcher's lack of conviction in his own stuff.
"I think he has struggled when he didn't trust his fastballs and he had trouble retiring the first batter he faced," the skipper said before the Bears hosted the NC Dinos at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "Numbers show that his fastball velocity isn't that much different from last year but he just doesn't seem to trust it 100 percent the way he did last year. He is thinking of throwing a breaking ball in spots where he would have gone with his fastball last year."
In addition to Kim's velocity, other peripheral numbers this season are similar to last year's. His strikeout rate is slightly up, though his walk rate has gone up a bit, too. He is enjoying better batted ball luck than a year ago, with a .281 average on balls in play, down from a .314 mark.
Cho refused to describe Kim's issues as "a sophomore slump."
"We are a young team that's trying to grow and I'd like to think that Kim Taek-yeon is trying to grow up as well," Cho added. "We are faced with two choices now. We can either keep him around here, hoping he will overcome his adversity, or we can give him a breather if he feels overwhelmed."
Asked if the latter option meant a demotion to the minors, Cho said, "Yes, that's a possibility. We will sit down with him and our pitching coaches to determine the best course of action. He's going to be our closer for a long time, and so we will have to do what's best for him."