That's how Kang left the club. However, his legacy will remain forever.

The NC Dinos dismissed Kang In-kwon on Tuesday. Kang was the coach of the team. He pushed for this position when he thought a specific player was right for this role. He is similar to his teacher, Hanwha Eagles coach Kim Kyung-moon.스포츠토토

Representative players that head coach Kang In-kwon pushed for are Kim Hyung-joon (25) and Kim Joo-won (23). They were confident that they would lead the center line of NC for many years. Kim Hyung-joon was injured when he finished his military service, which delayed his return, but he waited until he was appointed in the first team. NC has catcher Park Se-hyuk who was hired as an FA, but Kang In-kwon used Kim Hyung-joon as the mainstay in the post season as well. And this year, Kang pushed him to become a full-time catcher in earnest.

In fact, Kim Hyung-joon is considered to have a complete skill, which is rare among catchers in their early to mid-20s. He is the No. 1 catcher who has played more than 100 games with a 35.1 percent stolen base blocking rate. He has emphasized several times that he has a shot as if he had 16 home runs, and although Abidge (0.194) is falling now, he has the potential to rise to the mid to late 20% range.

Kim Hyung-joon is growing by banking on Kang In-kwon's strong commitment. He played as a starting member of the Korean national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Pro Baseball Championship last year, and booked to select the upcoming Premier 12. If Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Bears) or Kang Min-ho (Samsung Lions) do not suddenly join the final entry, chances are high that he will play as a starting member.

Kim Joo-won has been appointed since 2022 when Kang In-kwon was the acting head coach. Kang consistently appointed Kim as the starting member since the middle of the 2022 season. Despite the batting average and error parade of around .100 last year, he pushed for the ninth batter with his eyes closed. Kim Ju-won became the most faulted fielder, committing 29 mistakes during 1,030 innings in the 2023 season.

The results of his perseverance appear little by little this season. Kim ranks third in the most innings by a shortstop with 972 ⅔ innings. However, he has 17 errors, falling to half of the level of last year. Analysts say that he has gained stability in defense. Hitting also shows signs of bursting his potential. In the second half of this year, he will display stellar performance by posting 51 hits from 150 times at bat, 0.340 four home runs and 21 RBIs in 51 games. He also came up as an upper-ranked hitter at No. 9.

Kim's biggest strength is his athletic ability. He is a shortstop who can produce home runs. After hitting 10 home runs last year, he hit nine home runs this year. Expectations are high that he will be able to grow as a shortstop for both offense and defense in earnest next year. Analysts say he can hit around mid to late-20s with 20 home runs. Kim also gained experience in international competitions and resolved military service through the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Professional Baseball Championship last year.

Whoever becomes NC's new head coach in the 2025 season, chances are high that the team will maintain catcher Kim Hyung-joon and shortstop Kim Ju-won. It is true that the two are extraordinary in their talents, and it is difficult to find a better player than them in the team.

Eventually, the growth and potential of Kim Hyung-joon and Kim Joo-won, and the tenacity of Kang In-kwon will be evaluated by the club's history in the future. All managers will leave the team someday. However, a player's record will remain in the team forever. Kim Hyung-joon and Kim Ju-won need to closely watch how Kang's patience will be evaluated in the future as it can fatten the Korean baseball team.