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NC Dinos manager Kang In-kwon started to reorganize the batting lineup during the off-season. He placed Matt Davidson as the fourth batter to center stage, and placed Son A-seop, the third, and Park Geon-woo, the fifth batter, to put weight on the central lineup. Park Min-woo was the leadoff, while Kwon Hee-dong and Seo Ho-cheol competed as the second batter. One of them decided to leave the second batter to take charge of the sixth batter. Then, during the season that started, unexpected names were written on the starting lineup for the opening game.

The main character is outfielder Kim Sung-wook (31). He has been on the lineup as one of the center hitters of his team as he has been sixth batter since the end of the exhibition game.

Kim Sung-wook started as the sixth batter in the game against the Kiwoom Heroes in the "2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League" held at Changwon NC Park on the 26th. Kim Sung-wook failed to record a hit in the opening two consecutive games against the Doosan Bears. When the mood needed a turnaround, a cool cannon that could not have been better than this broke out. In the bottom of the first inning, when the 0-0 game continued, he rolled up the curve of opponent starter Enmanuel de Jesus and fired a 125-meter Grand Slam over the central fence. Kim Sung-wook's cannon gave the team a 4-0 lead.

Despite the grand slam, Kim continued to play as if he was hungry. He had two walks and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the last time he had a at-bat, he got on base with a hit in the middle and scored a decisive run thanks to Kim Hyung-joon's timely hit. He led his team to a 10-5 win. His final result was two hits from three times at bat (one homer) with four RBIs, three runs scored and two walks. He had a grand slam, his first hit of this season, and that was the final hit, which had an unforgettable day.

Last year, Kim returned to the team after being discharged from military service at Sangmu, but failed to penetrate outfielders such as Park Kun-woo, Kwon Hee-dong, and Son A-seop, including key center fielder Jason Martin. Kim was in charge of backup for the outfield, and posted a batting average of 0.223 (40 hits in 179 times at bat) with six homers and 16 RBIs with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.683 in 93 games. However, the situation is different this year. The team signed a contract with Davidson, whose main infield is the team's, and secured an empty outfield position. Kang has high expectations for Kim to play in center field not only in spring camps but also in exhibition games.

"Kim Sung-wook did a great job preparing for the off-season. It's an FA (free agent) season and he's highly motivated. There are things that I have prepared a lot and put a lot of effort into. I think the sixth batting order needs the ability to produce RBIs rather than the on-base percentage. I thought about it with Seo Ho-cheol, but I decided that Kim Sung-wook was better in that part (the ability to produce RBIs)." Kim also hit a grand slam, living up to the expectations of his coach.

Kim Seong-wook is an outfielder armed with the ability to "clutch heater." He contributed to his team's batting lineup by recording double-digit homers and slugging percentages in the 2016 season (15 homers/baseball percentage of 0.467) and the 2018 season (13 homers/baseball percentage of 0.433). Last year, he also garnered 16 of his 40 hits with long balls (10 doubles and six homers), displaying punchy performance and producing RBIs. In addition, he also boasts stable defense capability. Since his debut as a pro in 2013, he has made only three errors while playing in 836 games. He can vitalize his team in both offense and defense.

If Kim Sung-wook stays in NC Dinosaurs, the season will be much easier to solve. Currently, NC has a fixed lineup that consists of Park Min-woo (2nd baseman), Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder), Son A-seop (designated hitter), Davidson (1st baseman), Park Kun-woo (right fielder), Kim Sung-wook (center fielder), Seo Ho-cheol (3rd baseman), Kim Hyung-joon (pitch) and Kim Joo-won (striker). If Kim Sung-wook can support them, his team's lineup will become stronger as he boasts one of the top-ranked hitters in the league, including Son A-seop, who had the most hits in the batting average, and Park Gun-woo, who acquired the gold glove in the designated hitter category last year, and Park Gun-woo, who embraced the golden glove of an outfielder.

NC`s outfielder Kim Sung-wook, who is entering his 13th year as a professional baseball player, will be able to display his skills under the trust of manager Kang.