Kim Min-Jae
Encyclopedia
Kim Min-Jae (born January 3, 1973 in Busan
) is a third base coach for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization
. Previously, Kim was a shortstop
for the Lotte Giants
, SK Wyverns
and Hanwha Eagles. He batted and threw right-handed.
, and played for the Giants for eleven seasons. In 2002, Kim moved to the SK Wyverns
. After the 2005 season his contract with the Wyverns ran out and he became a free agent. Before the 2006 season Kim signed with the Hanwha Eagles for four-year.
Since Kim was considered one of the best defensive infielders in the KBO league
, he had been regularly picked for the South Korea national baseball team as a utility infielder
.
In October 2002, Kim got first called-up to the national squad, and competed in the Asian Games
. He helped his team defend the gold medal, going 4-for-8 with 3 RBIs. A month later, Kim was joined in the South Korea national team again for the 2002 Intercontinental Cup
held in Havana
, Cuba
.
In 2006, he was selected for the South Korea national baseball team, and participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
. Kim went 3-for-5 with an RBI over Team USA in Round 2. He hit a one-bounce ground rule double
over the left field off setup man Dan Wheeler
with two outs in the fourth inning, and smacked an RBI single off Mike Timlin
in the sixth. At the last match of Round 2 against Team Japan, Kim drew a one-out walk in the eighth off Toshiya Sugiuchi
and scored the tiebreaking run when Lee Jong-Beom
hit a two-RBI double.
In December 2007, Kim played for South Korea again at the Asian Baseball Championship
held in Taichung
, Taiwan
. He went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, playing shortstop and second base during the competition.
On July 16, 2008, Kim was named to the South Korea national baseball team for the 2008 Summer Olympics
. Due to right ankle injury, he was mainly used as a substitute infielder or first base coach during the Olympics. But in the team's seventh game in the round-robin, against the Netherlands
, Kim drew a two-out walk in the fifth off Alexander Smit
and scored a run when Kim Hyun-Soo
hit a two-RBI single.
Kim retired for good as a player after the 2009 season but retained his assistant coaching position in the Eagles.
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
) is a third base coach for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
. Previously, Kim was a shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
for the Lotte Giants
Lotte Giants
The Lotte Giants are a professional baseball team based in Busan, Korea, and one of the original franchises of the Korea Baseball Organization league. The Lotte Giants are owned by the Japanese-South Korean Lotte conglomerate....
, SK Wyverns
SK Wyverns
SK Wyverns Baseball Club is a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 2000. Based in Incheon, they play their home games at Munhak Baseball Stadium.Their current manager is Man Soo Lee .-History:...
and Hanwha Eagles. He batted and threw right-handed.
Professional career
Kim graduated from Busan Technical High School in 1991. He was then signed by the Lotte GiantsLotte Giants
The Lotte Giants are a professional baseball team based in Busan, Korea, and one of the original franchises of the Korea Baseball Organization league. The Lotte Giants are owned by the Japanese-South Korean Lotte conglomerate....
, and played for the Giants for eleven seasons. In 2002, Kim moved to the SK Wyverns
SK Wyverns
SK Wyverns Baseball Club is a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 2000. Based in Incheon, they play their home games at Munhak Baseball Stadium.Their current manager is Man Soo Lee .-History:...
. After the 2005 season his contract with the Wyverns ran out and he became a free agent. Before the 2006 season Kim signed with the Hanwha Eagles for four-year.
Since Kim was considered one of the best defensive infielders in the KBO league
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
, he had been regularly picked for the South Korea national baseball team as a utility infielder
Utility infielder
A utility infielder is a baseball player, usually one who does not have a regular starting role on the team and who is capable of playing more than one of the four defensive infield positions: second base, third base, shortstop, and less typically first base...
.
In October 2002, Kim got first called-up to the national squad, and competed in the Asian Games
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games, also known as XIV Asiad is a multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Busan is the second city, after Seoul in 1986 to host the Games. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries...
. He helped his team defend the gold medal, going 4-for-8 with 3 RBIs. A month later, Kim was joined in the South Korea national team again for the 2002 Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (baseball)
The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999....
held in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
In 2006, he was selected for the South Korea national baseball team, and participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
. Kim went 3-for-5 with an RBI over Team USA in Round 2. He hit a one-bounce ground rule double
Ground rule double
In baseball, a ground rule double is an award of two bases from the time of pitch to all baserunners including the batter-runner as a result of the ball leaving play after being hit fairly and leaving the field under a condition of the ground rules in effect at the field where the game is being...
over the left field off setup man Dan Wheeler
Dan Wheeler
Daniel Michael Wheeler is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:...
with two outs in the fourth inning, and smacked an RBI single off Mike Timlin
Mike Timlin
-Early life:Timlin was born in Midland, Texas to Jerome Francis Timlin Sr. and Nancy Sharon Beyer. Timlin graduated from Midland High School in Midland, Texas. He then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.-Baseball career...
in the sixth. At the last match of Round 2 against Team Japan, Kim drew a one-out walk in the eighth off Toshiya Sugiuchi
Toshiya Sugiuchi
is a Japanese baseball player. He is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.Sugiuchi was the Eiji Sawamura Award winner in...
and scored the tiebreaking run when Lee Jong-Beom
Jong-Beom Lee
Lee Jong-Beom is a South Korean professional baseball player who plays for the Kia Tigers, the franchise with the most championship victories in Korean pro baseball history.He started his career at shortstop but now plays mainly center fielder...
hit a two-RBI double.
In December 2007, Kim played for South Korea again at the Asian Baseball Championship
2007 Asian Baseball Championship
The 24th Asian Baseball Championship was contested in Taichung, Taiwan in November and December 2007. The tournament is sanctioned by the Asian Baseball Federation. The winner of the tournament will gain automatic entry into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing...
held in Taichung
Taichung
-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, playing shortstop and second base during the competition.
On July 16, 2008, Kim was named to the South Korea national baseball team for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Due to right ankle injury, he was mainly used as a substitute infielder or first base coach during the Olympics. But in the team's seventh game in the round-robin, against the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Kim drew a two-out walk in the fifth off Alexander Smit
Alexander Smit
Alexander Roelof Smit is a Dutch baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds organization, playing for their Double-A affiliate the Carolina Mudcats....
and scored a run when Kim Hyun-Soo
Kim Hyun-Soo
Kim Hyun-Soo is a Korean name. It's surname is Kim , and the given name is Hyun-Soo . It has usually used as an unisex name. It also spelled Kim Hyun-Su or Kim Hyeon-Soo or Kim Hyeon-Su.- People with the given name Kim Hyun-soo :...
hit a two-RBI single.
Kim retired for good as a player after the 2009 season but retained his assistant coaching position in the Eagles.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Asian Games Baseball at the 2002 Asian Games Baseball was one of the many sports which was held at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea beginning on October 2, 2002. Five East and Southeast Asian nations participated in the tournament... |
 |
.500 BA (4-for-8), 3 RBI | |
| 2002 | Intercontinental Cup Intercontinental Cup (baseball) The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999.... |
 |
||
| 2006 | World Baseball Classic World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world... |
 |
.273 BA (3-for-11), 1 RBI | |
| 2007 | Asian Baseball Championship Asian Baseball Championship The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer... |
|
1.000 BA (3-for-3), 3 RBI | |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | |
.000 BA (0-for-11), 1R | |