Kim Hye-seong (26) of the Los Angeles Dodgers has ultimately been excluded from the opening roster. He will experience the high wall of Major League Baseball from the Triple-A level as he begins the season.
On the 12th (Korea time), Kim Hye-seong was substituted as a defensive replacement in the fourth inning of a spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball held at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, and recorded no hits in 2 at-bats before being notified of his assignment to Triple-A.
Dave Roberts, the Dodgers' manager, noted in an interview with local reporters after the game that Kim Hye-seong would not be taken to Tokyo, Japan, where the opening game will be held. Instead, he will start the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
In addition to the 26-man roster that will play in the Tokyo opening game, five additional players will be taken to Japan as part of the 'taxi squad.' A total of 31 players will board the flight to Japan, but Kim Hye-seong is excluded. With the decision to start the season in Triple-A, his participation in the opening game against the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium on the 28th has also been ruled out.
Kim Hye-seong embarked on his challenge in the U.S. by signing a guaranteed contract with the Dodgers worth $12.5 million for 3+2 years, with a maximum of $22 million, last January. Though he received contract offers from the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres, Kim Hye-seong chose the Dodgers. The Angels' offer was better in terms of the maximum amount, but he decided to join the championship team, the Dodgers, and entered the competitive arena.
The Dodgers seemed to be creating a spot for Kim Hye-seong by trading their starting second baseman, Gavin Lux, to Cincinnati. However, Kim Hye-seong did not meet expectations. He started in 3 of the first 6 spring training games but struggled with a batting average of .071 (1 hit in 14 at-bats), with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts.
On the 2nd, after hitting his first home run in a game against the San Francisco Giants, it seemed he was on the verge of a rebound, but he was excluded from the starting lineup in 7 of the next 8 games, which reduced his standing. He demonstrated his ability to respond to high-velocity pitches by getting hits on consecutive days on the 10th and 11th, with speeds of 97.1 mph (156.3 km) and 95.5 mph (153.7 km), but he could not change the overall evaluation of his spring training.
The Dodgers utilized Kim Hye-seong more as a shortstop (3 starts in 10 games for 39 innings) than as his primary position, second base (2 starts in 5 games for 18 innings), and also deployed him as a center fielder (3 games for 10 innings). They aimed to find ways to utilize Kim Hye-seong by testing him in multiple positions. From the Dodgers' perspective, to leverage Kim Hye-seong's speed, he needed to perform well in various positions, not just at second base.
Despite having 2 errors in the shortstop position, what ultimately hindered Kim Hye-seong was his batting. He completely overhauled his batting form after joining the Dodgers, but it was difficult to produce results in such a short period. In an interview last month on the 28th, Kim Hye-seong said, "Batting is sensitive to even the smallest details. I am changing many aspects of my batting form, so it is not easy to complete adjustments in a short time. There are changes in my swing path, as well as changes in both my upper and lower body."
Kim Hye-seong recorded a batting average of .304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 at-bats), 37 home runs, 386 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .364, a slugging percentage of .403, and an OPS of .767 over the course of 953 games in the KBO League with the Kiwoom Heroes from 2017 to 2024. In the two-year period from 2023 to 2024, he improved with a batting average of .331 (352 hits in 1,065 at-bats), 18 home runs, 132 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .390, a slugging percentage of .452, and an OPS of .842 over 264 games.
However, the Dodgers began working on Kim Hye-seong's batting form as soon as spring training started. This decision was aimed at better handling the fast pitches of Major League pitchers and the changeups that break outside, which are much quicker than those in the KBO League. Manager Roberts noted on the 26th of last month regarding Kim Hye-seong's batting, "There are important adjustments to the mechanics for facing fastballs and changeups from right-handed pitchers. He needs to repeat more games."
Kim Hye-seong is showing progress in responding to fast pitches as the spring training comes to a close. Though he has made some degree of progress, he was not ready to be effective at the Major League level right from the opening game.
Although his inclusion in the opening roster has fallen through, it is not entirely negative for Kim Hye-seong. It was better to earn time to solidify his batting form in a guaranteed situation at Triple-A rather than sporadically appearing in the Major League in an unprepared state. Had he made the opening roster in his current condition, he would have faced pressure to produce results in one or two at-bats as a backup. Entering 4 to 5 at-bats daily in Triple-A is more beneficial for establishing his batting form. Of course, he must also contend with the anxiety of not knowing when an opportunity for a call-up to the big league may come.
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