The season couldn't have started worse. Do-yeong Kim, just 20 years old at the time, was entering his third year with the Kia Tigers of the KBO, Korea's top professional baseball league. He was coming off an 84-game season which saw him top a .300 batting average with an increase in power from his rookie season. He had been a highly touted prospect and the expectation was that even more was to come.
Two weeks into the season, though, and Kim was in a serious funk: He was hitting just .194 with just two extra base hits. Surely this wasn't the player who could be the future of the franchise?
On April 8, Kim's bat woke up: He went 4-for-5, launching a home run and driving in three runs. It was the start of a 20-game hit streak for Kim, his batting line going from meager to absurd. Once he warmed up, he didn't cool off again: The third baseman finished the year with a .347/.420/.647 slash line to go with 38 home runs and 40 stolen bases -- the youngest player in KBO history to go 30-30. (He also fell just short of becoming the second player to go 40-40 in the KBO. Former MLB star Eric Thames is the only one to do it, accomplishing the feat in 2015.)
"Stats and those things aren't really important to me, but my one goal that I wanted to achieve was hitting for average, so hitting above .300 [was important]," Kim said through MLB Korea's Sunjae Song, who translated, this offseason. "Also, I had never been a full-time starter before last season, so I just wanted to get into the starting lineup."
His breakout season culminated in Kim taking home the MVP Award.
"I heard a lot of people, even from within my team, saying to me, like, 'Hey, I knew you'd be good, but I didn't know you'd be this good this quickly,'" Kim said. "For me personally, I'm just really satisfied. I took it day by day and to see everything come to fruition at the end of the year, was really satisfying."
It wasn't just his teammates who Kim surprised: His offensive onslaught caught his parents offguard, too.
"I think they're still in shock," Kim said. "They obviously watched me play baseball all my life, and so for me to be at this stage, and being recognized [with the MVP Award], they're still coming to terms with everything. They're still in shock."
Kim's hitting didn't stop when the season ended, either: He joined Korea's national team at the Premier12 tournament in November and put on a show for the globe. Though Korea didn't advance from the group stage, it wasn't for Kim's lack of effort. The young third baseman went 7-for-17 with three home runs in just five games.
"I'm a person and a player that's always striving for perfection," Kim said. "That could be in the baseball field, that could just be in life. I'm always striving for that. Probably not as as perfect as Ohtani, but certainly I'm setting myself a goal: I just want to be good at everything, be a good person and be positive."
Kim first started playing baseball when he was in second grade. An energetic and extroverted child, his parents needed to find an outlet for all of that energy.
"My parents kind of forced me into the sport," Kim joked. "I joined a Little League team and it was really fun for me."
He loved watching Javier Báez when he was young, thrilling at his energetic displays on the field. When he reached high school, Fernando Tatis Jr. was the player he most loved watching. Though they play different positions, they're decent comparisons for Kim: Athletic, energetic, able to shock even the most seasoned baseball fans with dazzling highlights.
While Kim dominated at the plate, scouts think he'll need to continue to work on his defense. Last year, Kim led the KBO with 30 errors. As a perfectionist, he knows he won't be seen as a true all-around threat until he shores up his work on that side of the ball.
"I've created a training regime for myself that I'm working on during the offseason and incorporating into my daily routine before games as well," Kim said. "That's certainly helping on the defensive end. And last year, going into the season, I had a little bit of a finger injury, so I had a really truncated preparation for the season. This year, I'm fully healthy, so I'm looking forward to this season."
Kim's still young and the future is bright. He just won the MVP Award, his team taking home the Korean Series at the end of the year. It's a lot of success very early for the slugger, but he believes there is still more to come. He's not actively trying to reach the 40-40 plateau, but he has confidence in his ability to pull it off.
"I definitely believe that I'm not at my best yet. Getting into the starting lineup and being consistent every day is my main goal. I'm still young, so I believe that I can achieve [a 40-40 season]. It's just not a big focus of mine. The bigger goal for the team is to win another championship."
He has another goal, too. He represented Korea in the Premier12, but now has his sites set on next year's World Baseball Classic. And the Majors? If Kim wants to be the best he can be, then he wants to face the best in the world.
"The upcoming World Baseball Classic is a big goal of mine. Certainly, I'm hoping to be able to perform on that stage for the long term," Kim said. "Playing on the biggest stage is definitely a big goal of mine. So, again, I'm striving for that."