Lg Twins first baseman Austin Dean expressed pride in his defense during a Yonhap News Agency interview. Since joining the KBO in 2023, he has hit 86 home runs and driven in 322 runs over three seasons, and he leads the league with five homers this year. Dean emphasized his focus on helping the team defend its Korean Series title.
Lg Twins first baseman Austin Dean has been one of the KBO's top sluggers since arriving in 2023, hitting 86 home runs -- third overall -- and driving in 322 runs, the most in that span. In his fourth season, through 16 games he is batting .371 with a .459 on-base percentage, .661 slugging, five home runs and 12 RBIs, tying for the league lead in homers.
Dean takes defense seriously at first base, where he earned the KBO Fielding Award in 2024 despite limited recent experience there. Drafted as an outfielder by the Miami Marlins in 2012 after playing infield in high school at Klein Collins High School in Spring, Texas, he told Yonhap News Agency, "I was an All-American at first base but had to fill in because others couldn't."
"I take pride in trying to get better defensively," Dean said, crediting his defensive coach for daily improvements. Before the weekend, he was one of two first basemen with 100-plus innings and no errors.
While eyeing another award, Dean's main goal is defending the Twins' Korean Series title for a third championship in four years. The longest-tenured active foreign position player in the KBO, he mentors younger teammates, saying, "I've been in your shoes... stay confident."
