The Los Angeles Dodgers made a somewhat surprising move on Friday by signing international free agent Hyeseong Kim from the Korean Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes.
The 25-year-old finished the 2024 season batting .326 with 11 homers, 30 stolen bases and 75 RBI in 127 games. He spent six seasons with Kiwoom, hitting .309 with 32 homers, 280 stolen bases and 339 RBI.
Kim’s greatest attribute is his baserunning ability, becoming the KBO stolen base leader in 2021 after swiping 46 bases in 50 chances and he has notched 211 stolen bases since 2018, which is the most in the KBO during that six-year span.
While he possesses plus-bat-to-ball skills, how his bat translates to the MLB level is the biggest question mark. In addition, players from the KBO have generally struggled in their first season making the jump between leagues.
Some players in the past have who have made the jump have included clauses in their contracts that prevents them from being optioned to the Minor Leagues. However, Kim does not have the ability to reject a Minor League assignment in his Dodgers contract, according to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net:
MK Sports reporting that Kim Hye-seong did not receive a right to reject an assignment to the Minor Leagues https://t.co/tgB1onsR3l
— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) January 3, 2025
The ability to option Kim could help the Dodgers as they work to manage their depth heading into the season. As things stand, the Dodgers have 16 position players on their 40-man roster for 13 active roster spots, and they have yet to re-sign Kiké Hernández, which many expect to happen.
A trade could alleviate the logjam, but Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said the club is content with their depth considering the injuries they had last season and don’t feel the need to move any of their pieces.
With a crowded roster potentially in play, sending Kim to the Minor Leagues could also allow the Dodgers to give him a softer landing as he adjusts to Major League pitching, but that’s not necessarily in the plans at this moment.
“I think we’ll see. Hopefully get him over here on the earlier end and get him working with out group and get our hands on him to start that process,” Gomes said. “Obviously, there’s always some learning. It’s not always linear, so there could be a learning curve. But we’re perfectly fine with that, knowing the other pieces in play are really strong.”
The Dodgers did lack a left-handed hitting bench option last season, and with Kim expected to play a utility role, it seems more likely than not he makes the roster and sticks on the team. However, having the flexibility to option him gives them more optionality in building their roster.
Dodgers believe in upside of Hyeseong Kim
While there might be growing pains as Kim adjusts to MLB pitching, the Dodgers are high on his bat and believe they can help him reach another level.
“I think there’s ability to continue to add strength,” Gomes began on Kim’s offensive upside. “I think there’s an approach standpoint and just some moves that our hitting group sees that we could make some adjustments to him.
“He already has really good bat-to-ball, which is a good foundation, obviously. And then being able to impact the ball a little bit more and ride out some (off-speed and curveball) pitches in a better way. So there’s definitely some pieces there that we feel like we can address to tap into the upside.
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