Baseball America (BA), a U.S. baseball magazine, evaluated Kim Hye-sung, who is seeking to advance to the Major League Baseball (MLB) through posting (closed competitive bidding), as a “second baseman in the main league.”
BA released Kim’s scouting report on its website on Monday (Korea time). The 20-80 grading system commonly used in MLB scouting reports has quantified Kim’s ability.
A score of 20 (not prospect) is considered below the level, and a score of 50 (average) is regarded as the Major League average. An 80 (outstanding) is among the best.
BA evaluated Kim Hye-sung’s contact ability with 55, slugging power 30, baserunning 70, defense 55, and throwing ability 40.
“Kim Hye-sung makes simple swings and moves quickly. With her pioneering eye and contact ability, she constantly produces hits,” BA said. “She is a hard-hitting type to hit homers, but she can also make strong hits. She can steal more than 30 bases every year, and she can be more aggressive.”
“Kim Hye-sung has played shortstop, but he is more suitable for second base because he is not good at throwing. He can be a main second baseman who produces more than average hits and stolen bases,” he added. “We need time to adapt to MLB to show our potential like most Korean players.” 메이저사이트
The MLB Secretariat announced Kim Hye-sung’s posting on the 5th. Kim Hye-sung can negotiate with 30 MLB clubs until January 4.
Kim Hye-sung, who started his professional career by being named the seventh in the second round by the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom) in 2017, has played in 953 games in the KBO League so far this year with a batting average of 0.304, 37 homers, 386 RBIs and 211 steals.
Kim Hye-sung, who has established himself as one of the leading infielders in the KBO League since 2022, played a batting average of 0.326, 11 home runs, 75 RBIs, 30 steals, and 0.841 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
MLB.COM said, “Kim Hye-sung is an infielder with outstanding defense capabilities. He received the Golden Glove at second base in 2022 and 2023, and the Golden Glove at shortstop in 2021.”
Several MLB scouts visited South Korea to closely observe Kim Hye-sung because he has sophisticated hitting, fast feet, and defense capabilities.
BA also introduced, “Kim Hye-sung made a Keystone duo for three seasons (2018-2020) at Kiwoom before Kim Ha-sung entered MLB.”
