Hyeseong Kim has been playing professional baseball since he was 18 years old, with nearly of that coming in the form eight seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League in South Korea.
During the offseason Kim signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal worth $12.5 million. It includes team options for the 2028 and 2029 seasons that could bring the total value of Kim’s contract to $22 million.
Kim’s speed, baserunning ability and defense were Major League-ready tools as a prospect, but the Dodgers also believed he had some untapped potential at the plate.
One of the first orders of business for the Dodgers was helping Kim to continue improving offensively by adding strength, working on his approach and making some adjustments to his swing.
Kim has reworked his swing from the ground up, and slowly began to see the changes implemented with Dodgers hitting coaches paying off, according to Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic:
“Everything” about the swing is different, Kim explained, adding, “I would say that there’s still a lot of space where I have to get better. But compared to Day 1 that I came here, it’s been better. I still have to go work on it.”
Over eight seasons in the KBO, Kim showed the ability to hit for average and reach base at an above-average rate, thanks to strong bat-to-ball skills. But Kim also lacked substantial slugging ability, never hitting more than 29 doubles or 11 home runs in a single season.
That translated to a career .403 slugging percentage, though Kim showed noticeable improvement in 2023 and 2024.
The results in the Minor Leagues were promising, with Kim owning a .470 slugging percentage and five homers in 115 at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
That’s nearly half of his career-high total from 2024, when he hit 11 home runs in 509 at-bats.
Kim has been given an opportunity to test the progress he has made against Major League pitching after being recalled on May 3 for the injured Tommy Edman. Kim has played in nine games (six starts) and is 7-for-22 with two RBI and two stolen bases thus far.
Hyeseong Kim adding a spark to Dodgers lineup
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has praised the new dimension Kim has brought to the lineup since his arrival, citing his fearlessness and the spark he provides.
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