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By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
HOUSTON � Baseball is one of the most popular sports in South Korea, but while the game is played by the same rules as in the U.S., it�s taken much more seriously. That, said Garden of Gears player Kyeong Min Kim, didn�t make it very fun when he was growing up.In middle and high school, his coaches would hit him on the hip with a bat when he made a mistake.�So I hated this Korean style,� Kim said. �So I couldn�t play baseball well because of the coaches. In America, many players emphasize the fun. Just having fun. I like this.�And having fun is what Kim is doing at the Pecos Spring League. The outfielder is hitting .357 with two doubles and a triple, and is errorless in the field.�I am having fun, yes,� he said, politely thanking anyone who complements on his prowess at either the plate or in the field.After playing in middle school, high school and for one year in college � he started playing at age 13 ��Kim took a five-year break from the sport.�Last year, I restarted playing baseball, but I didn�t have any team, so I trained alone,� he said. Although his English still isn�t perfect, Kim studied the language for two years in college so he began looking into playing in the U.S.�I was interested in American baseball when I was in Korea, so I searched independent leagues. I found out Pecos League,� he said.He contacted league commissioner Andrew Dunn who welcomed him to the spring camp, and for the first time ever came to the U.S.The naturally right-handed players hits better from the left � something he taught himself while in college � and likes the competition he�s facing in the Spring League.�Pecos League is good league, and I like American baseball style. So I�m satisfied with this life,� he said.He doesn�t care who he plays for, just hopes he�s picked up by the Pecos League.�I want to be selected by any team, so if I am selected by Pecos League teams, I can play baseball very hard,� he said.Gears and Santa Fe manager Bill Moore thinks Kim�s chances are good.�I�d be surprised if he doesn�t (get picked up),� he said. �If my outfield wasn�t loaded I�d think about it, but I�ve got four guys already coming in. And wherever he goes, if someone drafts him, they�ve got to draft him to play. To make the roster. They can�t draft him to say, �Oh, sorry, I�m going to have to cut you. Too much money.� I would hope whoever drafts him drafts him to play, not just to try out.�Despite the language difficulty � not only for Kim but two other Gears players � Moore said everyone gets along.�This group of guys was able to take them and make then feel like part of us, and that�s what teammates do for each other. And Kim�s a very good teammate,� the manager said.As far as his baseball future, Kim wants to make youngsters in his home country like baseball and play for fun.�I want to become Korean professional baseball player,� he said. �So when I am in America, I want to learn American baseball, then if I go back to Korea, I want to play with American baseball style.�
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