Kim Hye-sung, who signed a dramatic contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), is about to end the posting (private competitive bidding), and the survival competition begins now.메이저놀이터
Simply signing a contract does not make you a big leaguer. You can become a big leaguer only when you play in your dream Major League game after going through fierce competition.
On the 4th (Korea Standard Time), Kim Hye-sung agreed to join the Dodgers for up to $22 million (about 32.4 billion won) for 3+2 years. The guarantee contract is $12.5 million (about 18.4 billion won) for three years and includes an option to extend the two-year contract thereafter.
Last year's World Series winner, the Dodgers, is a top-ranked team of stars. In order for Kim to be listed on the MLB's opening roster among players like Ki Ra-sung, she has to overcome fierce competition.
Of the eight KBO League players who signed contracts with big league clubs before Kim Hye-sung, two were Choi Hyang-nam (2009, contracted with the St. Louis Cardinals) and Ko Woo-seok (2023, contracted with the San Diego Padres).
Choi Hyang-nam was a player who challenged for a symbolic amount of $101 in posting fees, and Ko Woo-seok signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract and moved to the U.S., but spent the season only in the minor leagues last year.
In order for Kim not to taste "Bread of the Minor League in Tears," she needs to show a versatile performance at the spring camp that will begin next month. She needs to make sure she is a utility player.
What the Dodgers, which recruited Kim Hye-sung, expects the most from him is his defense ability to win the KBO Golden Glove award for the fourth consecutive year and his fast feet of 211 steals in the KBO League. In particular, if he shows that he can play as a shortstop, third baseman and sometimes an outfielder as well as a second base, which is his main position in defense, his chances of survival in the big league will increase significantly.
MLB commentator Song Jae-woo said, "If MLB clubs had highly evaluated Kim Hye-sung's multi-position ability, the contract would have been completed early by offering better contract terms," adding, "Kim Hye-sung should prove his ability from the camp."
Kim Hye-sung was a versatile defender in the KBO League. In 2018, when he started playing in the first division in earnest, Kim appeared in 111 games as a second baseman and 40 games as a shortstop, and in 2019, he played as a third baseman (six games) in addition to shortstop (66 games) and second baseman (63 games).
In 2020, "outfielder Kim Hye-sung" was also available. Kim has played in left field since early July to maximize his team's offense, with Kiwoom recruiting Addison Russell, a former MLB Chicago Cubs shortstop, in the middle of the season.
In the game against the Doosan Bears on July 2, her first game as a left fielder, Kim displayed good defense by catching a hit with a forward diving catch. During that season, Kim played all-around roles including second baseman (67 games), shortstop (50 games), left fielder (44 games), third baseman (nine games), and right fielder (1 game).
Kim Hye-sung, who later solidified his position as the main shortstop in 2021 as Kim Ha-sung entered the big league, received his first KBO Golden Glove on the spot.
From 2022, he moved to second base and held the Golden Glove for four consecutive seasons until last season, and after changing his position to second base, he played as a professional second baseman, with only eight games as a shortstop in three seasons.
The season that Kim Hye-sung should think of is the 2020 season. Since he was originally a player with a natural sense of defense, it is necessary to show that he can play various positions in MLB spring camps and exhibition games.
It would be even better if she showed off her slugging capability. Kim Hye-sung, who had his first double-digit home run since his debut with 11 homers in 2024, has 37 homers and a total slugging percentage of 0.403, the lowest among fielders ever who entered the MLB through posting.
For this reason, CBS Sports mentioned Kim Hye-sung (0.099), Lee Jung-hoo (0.151), and Kim Ha-sung (0.199)'s overall net long hitting rate (IsoP, minus the batting average) in the KBO League, and predicted that "Kim Hye-sung's slugging power will be among the lowest among MLB hitters."
Kim Hye-sung's long-shot power, which was gently curved to the right, is also displayed in the big league, and if he shows a double-digit home run in a season, he will be able to quickly establish himself in the Dodgers.