Young-kyu Kim

Young-kyu Kim (김영규) (Alpaca)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 189 lb.

• High School Gwangju Jeil High School

• Born February 10, 2000 in Gwangju South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Young-kyu Kim pitched in the KBO and for the South Korea national baseball team.

Kim was drafted by the NC Dinos in the second round of the 2018 KBO draft, and he stayed in the minors for the entire 2018 season. He started his 2019 season as a starter, but he was moved the bullpen in late May. On September 27, he shut out the LG Twins, and he completed the first shutout without a walk in NC's history. He was also the first pitcher who born in the 21st century to complete a shutout. Kim ended up 5-4 with a 5.29 ERA in that season. He struggled again in 2020, and he was 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA. He pitched 2 1/3 innings with an unearned run allowed in the 2020 Korean Series Game 3, and he won his first title as the Dinos beat the Doosan Bears in 6 games.

The Gwangju native went 5-3 with a 5.37 ERA in 2021, and he became a full-time reliever in 2022. He notched 13 holds with a 3.41 ERA in 72 relief outings, and he was 5th in appearances (between Seung-min Koo and Jin-yong Seo). Kim notched 24 holds with a 3.06 ERA in 63 games in 2023, and he was 3rd in holds (tied with Myeong-sin Kim). He represented South Korea in the 2022 Asian Games (delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and he only had one appearance. He relieved Gyun-an Na against Thailand, and he pitched a shutout inning with 2 strikeouts, going 1-2-3 against Setthawut Bucha, Naruephol Muangkasem and Kittipong Thonglor. Korea beat the Chinese Taipei in the Gold Medal Game. That exempted him from Korea's otherwise mandatory military service.

Kim then made it onto Korea's roster for the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship. He pitched 2/3 of a shutout inning with a strikeout against Briley Knight of Australia, and he added a shutout inning against Chinese Taipei. Korea lost to Japan in the Gold Medal Game due to Makoto Kadowaki's walk-off single. He was still a solid reliever in 2024, and he had a 3.15 ERA in 42 games with 14 holds. He was also selected into the 2024 KBO All-Star Game, and he pitched a shutout inning.

Kim's repertoire included a fastball (peak 94.4 mph) and slider. He had the nickname alpaca because his teammates thought that he looks like that creature, and he even wore an alpaca hat in the 2024 All-Star Game.

Sources

• Namu wiki
• 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship