Hyeseong Kim has made the most of his Major League opportunities this season after starting the year with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets.
Kim received a rare opportunity to start against a left-hander on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, but manager Dave Roberts clarified that was not indicative of his role expanding
“I think with what he’s done for us in the role that we have for him, he’s done fantastic. But I also think that Max (Muncy) is going to typically play against lefties,” Roberts said. “In this particular situation, he’s down and so I feel very good with Kim in there.
“But I do think the best version of him is playing in the right spots, versus right-handed pitching.”
Kim has certainly excelled as a platoon bat against right-handed pitching, batting .318/.380/.432 with three extra-base hits and a 130 wRC+. But he hasn’t had much success against left-handers in a limited capacity, with just one hit, one walk and three strikeouts in eight plate appearances.
There was a similar conversation surrounding Kim’s role last season, when the Dodgers again stuck with his platoon status throughout the year.
The team signaled their need to see more development from Kim at the plate by having him start the season in the Minors, so it makes sense why they aren’t ready to have him play against left-handed pitching.
That doesn’t mean that Kim will be stuck in a platoon role throughout his entire Dodgers career, he has already shown remarkable growth in just his second season since coming over from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).
However, any chance to earn an everyday role will seemingly have to come after this season.
Hyeseong Kim focused on improving
The second-year player has previously expressed his determination to stay on the Dodgers roster after a strong showing with the Comets.
Kim has been praised by the Dodgers for an ability to be coachable and eagerness to improve. He has an immense amount of trust in the coaching staff and believes they can make him the best player he can be.
“I believe there are a lot of things that I could get better at that I need to work on,” Kim recently said through an interpreter. “And just by having the best coaching staff, all I really have to do is just follow their lead, communicate with them, and take their instructions. Following their instruction is all I need to do.”
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