The infielders are overflowing.. Why did the Dodgers recruit Kim Hye-sung again → The bat is a big question mark
Jan 04, 2025
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The Dodgers officially announced on the 4th that they signed Kim Hye-sung. The Dodgers welcomed the announcement on their official SNS account, "'Welcome to the Dodgers, Kim Hye-sung.'"
It is worth up to 22 million dollars (about 32.4 billion won) for 3+2 years. First, the team option is to guarantee $12.5 million (about 18.4 billion won) for three years and $9.5 million (about 14 billion won) for two seasons in 2028 and 2029.
It's good news, but the Dodgers are a powerful team with a number of versatile infielders. He is also last year's champion. The Dodgers recruited Kim Hye-sung even though there was no hole in the infield. It is true that there is a possibility that it will not be widely used.
Major League Trade-Roomers said 'Kim Hye-sung had the ability to play defense and base running ability to play as a pretty high-level utility player in Major League Baseball. However, the biggest question mark is how much Kim Hye-sung's batting ability can withstand a major league pitcher.
The MTR is 'Kim Hye-sung has never had a wRC+ below 118. He hit .326 with a on-base percentage of .384 in the past three seasons. However, he has never shown power even in KBO, which is a rather low level. Career High has 11 home runs. It is natural to worry that he may not have the power he needs to play in the Major League as a starting player.
MTR used Kim Ha-sung as an example.
MTR is 'Kim Ha-sung was a slugger in the KBO. He hit 30 home runs in 138 games in the final season. In the Major League, Kim Ha-sung is a soft contact expert, diagnosing that Kim Hye-sung could struggle.
MTR pointed out that Kim Hye-sung may not be able to play as the main player.
MTD is 'Juss already has second baseman Gavin Lux, shortstop Mookie Betts and Max Muncy on the hot corner. In addition, talented defensive shortstop Miguel Rojas and versatile Chris Taylor are on the bench. Tommy Edman can play both center field and second base shortstop. Kim Hye-sung predicted pessimistically that he may not be able to play a guaranteed starting role.
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The MTR added 'The reason why the super is attached implies that he will take on more than two positions. It is interesting to see if the Dodgers will send Kim Hye-sung to the outfield as well. Kim Hye-sung will take on a bigger role than an ordinary bench hitter, but he will have to try to secure time to play because there are too many competitors,' he observed.
MTR is 'The fact that Juss recruited Kim Hye-sung despite already having a lot of infielders shows how much depth and flexibility the Dodgers value,' he added.
Major League Baseball's official website MLB.com added 'The Dodgers have already added an overflowing center infielder to their 40-man roster. Mookie Betts plans to take over shortstop and Gavin Lux as second baseman, but players who can play in this position already include Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman. Kim Hye-sung observed that the roles overlap most with Taylor and Rojas.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers excluded promising catcher Diego Cartaya to put Kim Hye-sung on the roster.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
