A few months ago, the KIA Tigers organized a unique event at Challengers Field in Hampyeong, home of the Futures (2nd team).
Parents and family members of players on the Future team were invited to tour the training facility and watch the players in action. Usually, when a player plays his first game after being called up to the first team, it’s common to visit the stadium and watch him proudly wear the uniform. It’s hard to get a glimpse of the Futures training grounds, which are often more intense due to the presence of microorganisms. From the club’s point of view, it’s true that, unlike the glamorous first team, the Futures can’t be said to stand out.
A Kia official said, “The professional world is a stage of competition, but from the perspective of parents and families, they trust our club and entrust their children and siblings to us. It is natural to want them to learn and grow in a good environment and under a good teacher,” said a Kia representative. “We wanted to show that we will develop players in a good environment that lives up to that belief, and that we will develop players fairly based solely on their ability.”
Kia, which has been preparing to introduce the new development system since 2021, finalized the framework last year and took the first steps this year. While some coaches boast colorful careers, such as Son Seung-rak, who went on to coach the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball after retiring from active duty, others have spent most of their careers with teams other than KIA. Rather than simply selecting coaches based on their reputations in the field or to suit the tastes of the first-team coaching staff, Kia’s goal was to build a future team with coaches who are in line with the club’s development direction and have a good understanding of the latest trends.먹튀검증
The KIA Future Team is still in the process of establishing itself. The team’s two-hit percentage, which was at its lowest point last year, is starting to rise, and players like Lee Woo-sung and Choi Ji-min are finding their place in the first team. It’s a rare sight to see the Tigers paying attention to the off-field aspects of this process, and it’s enough to make you look forward to the future of Kia.