Lotte Giants' outfielder Kim Min-suk swings during a spring training in Guam, Feb. 19, provided by Lotte Giants. Yonhap

Kim Min-suk, sophomore outfielder for the Lotte Giants, is so young that he was only two years old when Ryu Hyun-jin was mowing down hitters as a rookie in 2006 in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

It wasn't until after Ryu began pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 that Kim was old enough to follow the pitcher's career from afar, watching Ryu's starts on the phone on his way to school.

With Ryu having reunited with the Hanwha Eagles last month, Kim will have a chance to face the veteran left-hander this season. It could come as early as March 17 in a preseason game, with Ryu scheduled to make his one final exhibition start before his Opening Day assignment six days later.

"If I do get into the lineup in that game, I'd love to take my best shot against him," Kim told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Tuesday, after returning from spring training in Japan. "It's kind of surreal that I'll get to see him. I remember watching him pitch when I was in elementary school."

Hanwha Eagles pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, 2nd from left, smiles during a throwing session during spring training at Kochinda Baseball Field in Yaese, Japan, Feb. 25. Yonhap

Ryu last pitched in the KBO in 2012. Few active players have faced him before. When Kim first learned that Ryu would be on his way back to Korea, he didn't know where to turn to for advice because most of his teammates haven't seen Ryu, either.

Instead, Kim wants to focus on improving his own strengths and becoming more consistent at the plate.

Kim, 19, was the highest position player selected in the 2022 draft as the third overall pick. He batted just .196 in the first month of the 2023 season, but finished his rookie campaign with a solid, though far from spectacular, .255 batting average with 53 runs, 24 doubles and 16 steals.

"I tried to be more efficient with my swing at the plate," Kim said of his second spring training. "When you have unnecessary movements inside the box, it will wear you down and will change your eye level when facing pitchers. I want to be more consistent in that regard."

On top of that, Kim said he will try to become more aggressive with his bat. The Giants' new manager, Kim Tae-hyoung, has a noted disdain for his batters striking out looking, and he has not been shy about giving them the green light at a 3-0 count.

"I've never taken a swing at 3-0, but even if I hit into an out in that count, I want to do it taking my swing," Kim said. "During spring training, results will be secondary. I will try to develop consistent timing."

Despite his ups and downs last year, Kim did spend the entire year at the big club, without a stint in the minors. He wants to keep it that way in 2024.

"I think I have to improve my endurance, first and foremost. It will help me get over slumps," Kim said. "Each individual player has to do his part in order for the team to do well. My primary goal this year is to stay healthy and not get sent down to the minors."

Kim is expected to be one of the Giants' starting outfielders this year, but he said he wasn't taking anything for granted.

"I don't think I will be guaranteed anything before the start of the season," he said. "I will try to do whatever it takes to win the competition for a job."

With Ryu back in the KBO, Kim will have to follow other Korean players in the majors. The one he will keep a particularly close eye on is Lee Jung-hoo, outfielder for the San Francisco Giants.

Lee, the 2022 KBO regular season MVP, and Kim graduated from the same high school in Seoul. With both being left-handed, contact-first batters, Kim drew occasional comparisons to Lee as a rookie last year.

"I watch him pretty closely for anything I can pick up as a hitter, absolutely," Kim said. "I try to study many different left-handed batters, no matter where they're from, but obviously, Jung-hoo is the one Korean hitter that I watch the most."

Kim said he wasn't surprised that Lee is off to such a strong start to his first spring training. Lee has hit safely in each of his first five games and has already homered.

"He has always been such a consistent hitter, and I figured he'd do well," Kim said. "He has said a few times in interviews that it's all about making adjustments, and I think he's adjusting pretty well." (Yonhap)