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By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- For a while early in the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, Doosan Bears outfielder Daz Cameron looked lost at the plate. On April 5, he struck out four times in all four at-bats, for instance. In 11 games between that day and April 18, Cameron went 8-for-45 with 16 strikeouts while only drawing two walks. His batting average plummeted from .269 to his season-low .211.

But he broke out for three hits on April 19 and has been a completely different hitter since.

Cameron recorded at least a hit in his nine remaining games for April and opened May on an 8-for-18 heater over his first five games, with three multihit games thrown in for good measure. His batting average is now .302.

Daz Cameron of the Doosan Bears rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Kiwoom Heroes during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on May 1, 2026, in this photo provided by the Bears. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

He has also caught fire with runners in scoring position. Through April 24, Cameron had been 0-for-20 in such situations. Since then, he has gone 7-for-11 with 11 RBIs with men in scoring position. He picked up an RBI in four straight games in one stretch and then enjoyed a five-RBI effort last Friday.

So what has changed?

"Definitely, there was a time where there were certain pitches that I had to consistently wait for just to be able to drive the ball and hit into the middle part of the field. I felt like the more that I saw those pitches, the more I was able to recognize them," Cameron told Yonhap News Agency before Wednesday's game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "And then I started to adapt and figure out what I had to do with my bat to be able to have it in the zone, to stay through the baseball, and make a hit somewhere out there in the field."

Daz Cameron of the Doosan Bears hits an RBI double against the Samsung Lions during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 30, 2026. (Yonhap)

Cameron, who signed with the Bears in January after logging 160 games in Major League Baseball (MLB), said he has faced "a lot of pitchers that throw breaking balls consistently the majority of the time" in the KBO.

"Here, pitchers just kind of dabble around the corners, on the edges," he said, while making a comparison with MLB pitchers who like to come after hitters with fastballs. "Then later in the count, they make a mistake and that one mistake that you might get may be the only one. So recognition has been a key part."

Even during his early-season woes that are becoming a distant memory, Cameron said his self-belief never wavered.

"Just to continue to stay confident and believe that there is adjustability within the at-bat," Cameron said of his mindset during his slump, adding that he also tried to stay consistent with his approach and trust his process.

Daz Cameron of the Doosan Bears poses for a photo after an interview with Yonhap News Agency at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on May 6, 2026. (Yonhap)

Cameron also said he has been trying to take advantage of information readily available.

"I see a lot as far as the analytics and I think there's a lot of information given to be successful," he said. "You see a lot of guys that are going from here to the States and you see the reasons why they've been successful for the most part."

Cameron, 29, comes from a baseball family. His father, Mike, was a three-time Gold Glove winner and an All-Star during his 17-year MLB career. The senior Cameron played for eight franchises and his best years came with the Seattle Mariners in the early aughts. He earned his lone All-Star selection and also his first Gold Glove in 2001 with the Mariners, when he put up 25 home runs, 34 steals and 110 RBIs. He even garnered down-ballot MVP votes for a team that won an American League-record 116 games.

Daz said his father, a special assignment coordinator for the Mariners minor leaguers with a focus on player development, is "always busy" and the two talk about once every two weeks.

"There are things that he has to go through as far as preparing his guys, knowing that he's coaching. And then when we talk, (it) is just mostly about being consistent," Daz said. "(We) like to talk about what's happening worldwide within the game of baseball. There could be just little intricacies anywhere that we kind of want to dive deep into, give our side a thought to whatever that could be. Sometimes that could be his team or maybe the team that I'm playing with. We're always looking to see what's best."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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