Kim Hye-sung, who shares the same rice with Ohtani, is a senior who should be a role model
Kim Hye-sung, who shares the same rice with Ohtani, is a senior who should be a role model
Blog Article
National second baseman Kim Hye-sung became a member of the world series champion LA Dodgers.
The official website of the Major League announced on the 4th (Korea time) that Korean infielder Kim Hye-sung, who played for the Kiwoom Heroes, signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a total of $22 million for 3+2 years. Kim Hye-sung will be guaranteed three years and 12.5 million dollars, and will play for the Dodgers until 2029, depending on her performance. When Kim joined the Dodgers, she will share the same rice with Shohei Ohtani, the "monster" who set an unprecedented record of "50-50 Club" last year.
Kim Hye-sung, who joined the Heroes in 2017, played in 953 games for a total of eight years until last year, posting a batting average of .304 1,043 hits, 37 homers, 386 RBIs, 591 runs and 211 steals. The 2021 Golden Glove winner in the shortstop category, he dominated the Golden Glove for the third consecutive year starting in 2022, becoming the best second baseman in the league. Now, he has to compete with the Dodgers, the winner of the World Series.
Shortstop - Second baseman The only player with a golden glove
Kim Hye-sung, a junior at Dongsan High School of Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles), was a promising player who received the Lee Young-min batting award given to the best hitter in high school baseball. Unlike Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), who turned into an outfield player after joining the pro league, he played only 16 games in the rookie season, breaking various rookie records (batting average of .188 two RBIs and one run).
In 2018, his second season, he began to show his presence by batting .270 with 5 home runs, 45 RBIs, 79 runs and 31 steals, taking advantage of the absence of Seo Geon-chang, the main second baseman. In 2019, he played various positions while playing as a utility infielder, and in 2020, he played in 45 games as an infielder as well as an outfielder, showing off his versatile ability.
The potential has exploded in earnest since 2021. Kim was the Heroes' main shortstop in 2021, when Kim Ha-sung entered the Major League, and became the steal king with a batting average of .304 with three home runs, 66 RBIs, 99 runs and 46 steals. The new owner of the Golden Glove, which is the shortstop division without Kim Ha-sung, was also Kim's. However, he showed weakness in throwing, making 35 errors, the most in the league that year, and turned into a second baseman to reduce the burden of defense starting in 2022.
After transforming into a second baseman, Kim took another leap forward with wings. She won the Golden Glove in the second baseman category with a batting average of .318 with four homers, 48 RBIs, 81 runs and 34 steals in 2022. She was the only player in the history of the KBO league who received both shortstop and second baseman's golden glove. She also had a batting average of .335 with seven homers, 57 RBIs, 104 runs and 25 steals in 2023, and swept the Golden Glove for the third consecutive year with a batting average of .326 with 11 homers, 75 RBIs, 90 runs and 30 steals.
Kim Hye-sung, who witnessed Lee Jung-hoo entering the Major League for a whopping six years and $113 million ahead of the 2024 season, applied for Major League posting after the end of last year's season.
News of Kim's contract had not been heard until nearly a month had passed since she applied for posting. Kim successfully entered the big league by signing a contract with the Dodgers early on Friday when it was expected that her challenge to the Major League would become difficult.
Lux-Lohas and others predicted tough main competition
During the posting period, several clubs, including the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels, the San Diego Padres, and the Chicago Cubs, showed interest in recruiting Kim Hye-sung. Some of them reportedly offered better conditions than the Dodgers. He chose the Dodgers, the best club for Korean players to adapt and live in, as many Korean major leaguers, including Park Chan-ho, Seo Jae-eung, Choi Hee-seop and Ryu Hyun-jin, played rather than the high amount.
Considering relatively easy competition to become a starting pitcher and steady opportunities to play, however, it is hard to say that the Dodgers is the best option. The Dodgers has some of the best players in the 스포츠토토 Major League in each position. Of course, there are no players at second base that boast excellent batting performance like Jose Altuve (Houston Astros) or Marcus Simian (Texas Rangers), but the position is very competitive.
Gavin Lux, who was the Dodgers' main second baseman last year, had a batting average of .251 with 10 homers, 50 RBIs and 59 runs. Lux was from the first round of the Dodgers' draft and still has high expectations on his team and fans. Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas is also likely to seek second base if Mookie Betts plays shortstop. It is fortunate for Kim that Tommy Edman, the 2021 Gold Glove winner, turned into an outfield.
Chances are not high that the Dodgers, which paid a luxury tax of more than 100 million U.S. dollars this year, recruited Kim Hye-sung, who is only worth 12.5 million dollars for three years as its main player. Therefore, Kim should take Kim Ha-seong, who boosted his value by playing as a utility infielder, rather than Kang, who was a key player in the rookie season. Rather than rushing, Kim aims to gradually increase his presence and take a leap forward in the second or third season.
It is very difficult for Kim Hye-sung, whose 11 home runs he hit in 2024 were his personal record, to stand out in the Major League with his slugging power. Instead, Kim Hye-sung, a former stolen base king of the KBO League, has fast feet, having averaged 33.75 stolen bases in the past four years. If Kim appeals to the Dodgers and local fans with her stable second base defense and fast feet, she will be able to see Ohtani and Kim play together more often.