The KIA Tigers’ choice, which failed to resolve the anxiety of the home turf, was to recruit outside.

KIA agreed on a one-on-one trade on the 5th to give up infielder Ryu Ji-hyuk to the Samsung Lions and receive catcher Kim Tae-gun. Park Dong-won, who qualified 토토체험머니 for the FA after the end of last season, tried to break through the empty catcher gap by utilizing internal resources, but faced limitations. Kim Tae-gun is a player who can qualify for FA after this season, but KIA has decided to take an adventure once again.

On the first day of Kim Tae-gun’s joining the KIA team, backup Han Joon-soo (24) played a “life game.”

KIA canceled Shin Bum-soo (25) in the first division while registering Kim Tae-gun in the first division. Armed with desperation, Shin Bum-soo performed well for the month of June, but the batting slump deepened this month. He chose to give a chance to Han Joon-soo, who had a .39 batting average (50 hits in 162 at-bats), two home runs and 22 RBIs in the Futures League, and an OPS of 0.784. With Kim Tae-gun, whose trade was confirmed during the day, rushing up from Pohang to Incheon, Han Joon-soo played against the Incheon SSG Landers as a starting catcher. In the game, Han Jun-su contributed to his team’s 17-3 victory by performing amazingly with three hits and three RBIs in five at-bats, including a solo shot.

Han Joon-soo, a native of Dongseong High School in Gwangju and joined the team as the first designation for the 2018 Rookie Drafts, was called the catcher’s biggest fish in the amateur era. He drew attention with his excellent defense skills and strong shoulders. However, he suffered the bad luck of getting on the operating table after injuring his finger about a month after the opening of the Futures League in 2018, his debut season. Since then, Han has steadily gained experience with the Futures team. Although he left results in the batting, it was evaluated that he lacked long-hitting power, and feedback followed that he still has a lot of homework to solve in defense.

Han Joon-soo, who returned from his military service as an active soldier, switched to a nurturing player this season and started the season. The pride of the first designated player, who joined the team with a down payment of 160 million won, was put down. He lost 25 kilograms and played multiples. His efforts soon turned out to be a result of a batting average of .300 for Futures. KIA, which had been in anxiety at home throughout the season, chose to give Han Joon-soo a chance, and he made a noticeable result in his first first team start of the season.

Han Joon-soo is expected to play a backup role to support Kim Tae-gun for the time being. For him, who left impressive results at bat, it will be a challenge to prove how much he has grown in defense in the future. What he will show in his future first-tier companionship is expected to determine Han Joon-soo’s future.