Kang Jung-ho and Kim Ha-sung also overcame the competition…Kim Hye-sung has to go over to be a big leaguer
Kang Jung-ho and Kim Ha-sung also overcame the competition…Kim Hye-sung has to go over to be a big leaguer
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Kang and Kim Ha-seong were the same. Many predicted that the competition would not be easy, but they overcame it. In order for Kim to take root in the Major League, she also needs to show off her skills.스포츠토토
Kim Hye-sung signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 4th (Korea Standard Time) with a contract period of 3+2 years and a maximum of 22 million dollars (about 32.4 billion won). He visited the nest hours before the deadline for negotiations after the posting was announced to 30 Major League teams on December 4 last year.
Kim is guaranteed 11 million U.S. dollars for three years from this year to 2027. If the contract is extended by two more years through 2029 as a mutual option with the club, she can receive 11 million dollars more. If the option is not implemented, she will receive 1.5 million dollars in buyout and become a free agent within the Major League.
Kim has achieved her dream of entering the Major League, but the outlook for the upcoming 2025 season is not all that bright. The Dodgers, one of the most popular "Big Market," has top-rated players in each position, including superstar Shohei Ohtani. The team also has solid infield structure.
U.S. media in the U.S. are predicting that the Dodgers will make its starting lineup for the 2025 season as the second baseman Gavin Lux, the shortstop Mookie Betts, and the third baseman Max Muncy. Lux, who is in Kim Hye-sung's main position, posted a batting average of 0.251 (110 hits in 439 times at bat) with 10 homers, 50 RBIs, and five steals OPS of 0.703 in 139 games in the 2024 season.
Dodgers also has Miguel Rojas, one option for its infield backup. Given that Rojas is an veteran player born in 1989, however, chances are high that Kim will be given a considerable chance. From Kim's point of view, it has become important for her to appeal her strengths to the coaching staff during spring training and exhibition games.
The "Heroic Corps" that preceded Kim Hye-sung in the Major League also went through the same process. Kang Jung-ho, the first major leaguer produced by Kiwoom, signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates through posting after the end of the 2014 season. Pittsburgh, a small market club, invested 5 million U.S. dollars to 2015, and 11 million dollars in four-year annual salary to recruit Kang.
Pittsburgh had formed a solid infield base when it recruited Kang. There were key players including Jordy Mercer as the shortstop, Neil Walker as the second base, and Josh Harrison as the third base. Kang's debut season in the Major League did not start in a upbeat mood.
However, Kang won the competition. Prior to leaving the team due to injury at the end of the season, he had a batting average of 0.287, 121 hits, 15 homers, 58 RBIs, and 0.816. He displayed stable defense at both the third and shortstop positions.
Kang became the core of the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup in the 2016 season after undergoing surgery and rehabilitation. He showed off his improved batting performance with a batting average of 0.255, 81 hits, 21 homers, 62 RBIs and an OPS of 0.867 in 103 games. He ruined his career by drinking and driving in Korea in the winter of understanding, but his impact in the 2015-2016 season was clearly strong.
Kim Ha-sung also signed a four-year contract with the San Diego Padres for a total of 28 million dollars (about 41.2 billion won) through posting after the end of the 2020 season and crossed the Pacific Ocean. At that time, however, the San Diego infield was rooted in the rising star Fernando Tatis Jr. as the main position of Kim Ha-sung and Manny Machado as the third base. It seemed difficult for Kim Ha-sung to take a spot in the infield because Jake Cronenworth showed excellent batting in his big league debut season.
During the 2021 season, Kim had difficulty adapting himself to the ball power of Major League pitchers. He had a batting average of 0.202 and 54 hits, eight homers, 34 RBIs and six steals, and an OPS of 0.622, all of which fell short of expectations. Instead, he grew little by little based on his top defense and baserunning ability in the big leagues, and took advantage of Tatis Jr.'s injury to take over the position as the starting shortstop ahead of the 2022 season. In the 2023 season, he moved between shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman, and even won the Gold Glove in Asia's first infield utility player category.
Despite the aftermath of shoulder injury in the second half of the 2024 season, Kim Ha-sung is considered an attractive seller in the Major League FA market. He proved his value through fierce competition.
Kim Hye-sung also has to overcome fierce competition to survive on the Major League stage. Fortunately, the Dodgers is a representative "close" club, and Ohtani, a member of the same agency, and Tommy Edman, who played with him at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, have many supporters.