New Orioles outfielder Hyun-soo Kim told reporters at a press conference in Seoul, South Korea that he wants to finish his career in the Major Leagues, as Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News writes. “I want to do well and retire in the U.S. before coming back to South Korea,” Kim said to the media. “If I return here before then, it would mean I’m no longer desirable to U.S. teams. I’d consider myself a loser if I take a U-turn to the Korean baseball league.” It’s understandable that Kim would set lofty expectations for himself after dominating the KBO over the past decade. In 10 professional seasons, Kim is a .318/.408/.488 hitter, and the 27-year-old enjoyed arguably his best season in 2015 when he belted a career-best 28 homers with the second-highest OPS (.979) of his career. Kim said he most looks forward to facing David Price — a pitcher he greatly respects — and is excited for the challenge of facing greater velocity throughout the league in American ball.
Here are a few more notes on the international market…
- Eric Longenhagen breaks down a number of international players in an excellent piece for ESPN (Insider subscription required and recommended), including right-hander Kenta Maeda, who reportedly reached an agreement with the Dodgers on New Year’s Eve. Per Longenhagen, Maeda has an 87-92 mph fastball that can scrape a bit higher on the radar gun at times, though as he notes, we’re unlikely to see more velocity out of Maeda now that he’s pitching every fifth day instead of once a week. Maeda also features a slider, changeup, cutter and curveball, with the former two pitches being above-average to plus and the latter two being fringe offerings at best. Longenhagen opines that Maeda has a fifth starter’s arsenal that will play up to a No. 4 type of starter due to his control and pitch sequencing. He adds that while durability may be a factor — Maeda has 1500 pro innings under his belt at just 28 years of age — the Dodgers have quite a bit of rotation depth to make it through the upcoming season (even if several others arms are question marks themselves).
- While Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez has not yet been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, he’s “poised to sign” with Cincinnati upon clearance, per Longenhagen. Rodriguez probably won’t sign until after July 2, so his bonus will count against Cincinnati’s 2016-17 pool rather than its 2015-16 pool. The 21-year-old Rodriguez is said by Longenhagen to be a premier defender with enough speed to wreak havoc on the bases but little pop in his bat. Longenhagen writes that he could profile as a regular due to his glove and speed, though probably one that hits near the bottom of the order.
- Part of the reason for Yaisel Sierra’s recent showcase was that he’s yet to receive a good offer from teams, Longenhagen hears. He calls Sierra a “good-bodied, two-pitch 24-year-old,” noting that many clubs see him as a middle reliever but some feel he could develop into a No. 4 type of arm with more reps. The best fit for Sierra, in Longenhagen’s estimation, is a rebuilding team that can afford to make a strong offer and patiently try to develop the hard-throwing righty as a starter.
Haha and some of the users on this site though that maeda was a solid 2 starter
Haha we don’t know yet and everyone has an opinion, none of them actually informed. I remember the opinions voiced about Ryu when he was signed. A lot of people here had him penciled in as a reliever.
He very well might be, we will have to see. Sometimes scouts can go too much on a pitchers “stuff” and discount control. I think pinpoint control is way more important than stuff if you can utilize a good changeup.
A nice vid for you my good man. He’ll be awesome to watch this upcoming season.
Whoops, forgot to add the vid.
youtube.com/watch?v=v2kbFqXwwJQ
This is just one scouts opinion. With that being said, it was not but a year ago, and even at the beginning of this off-season, some scouts had him pegged as a solid number two to an excellent third option in a team’s rotation.
Regardless, you will almost always get varied opinions on pitchers and position players alike.
Scouting reports from analysts and currrent and former scouts are simply just a guide to go by, they are never the end all be all of a player’s ability nor said player’s future.
It will be interesting to see how Maeda’s “stuff” and pitch ability translate over to the ML’s, after all he will be working with a different baseball, and immersing himself in a whole new culture as well..
Myself, personally, I would not gauge his future until he has at least two years pitching at the ML level, but it is always fun to guess…Which, after all when you are labeling an unproven pitcher’s rotation “status,” it is only an educated guess at best…Keep in mind, no one can predict the future…..Regardless, how many people think they can…lol
Lol
Hmm, getting mixed reviews on sierra. Some think hes a stud, some are saying hes nothing more than a middle relief guy. Only time will tell. Im really excited on these new guys coming over from other countries though, its interesting to think of how many talents there are out therethat we dont know about. Thinking of Darvish, Tanaka, Abreu etc. Hopefully we see some more top talents come in,
So Alfredo Rodriguez is basically the short stop version of Peraza or Hamilton? I guess the Reds are going for “fast up the middle,” more so than “strong up the middle.”
There are worse ways to construct your roster than a ton of fast contact guys who will hit more home runs at GABP than any other ballpark.
Not saying I agree with 100%, but still.
Were you high af when you did this?
Makes no sense for the Red Sox
Sierra is going to be a good middle reliever/late inning guy. High velocity usually works best in the pen. Give him a 5 year deal worth $15m and then 2 club options and incentives. Seems reasonable enough for a potential 7th-8th inning guy who’s just 24.
5 year deal for a reliever who relies on velocity??
No relievers get 5 year deals, let alone one like him.
I would like the Reds to sign him at 2/5MM and see how he works out, but nothing more than that. And I would imagine those are the kind of offers he has been getting and why he hasn’t been signed.
On Maeda, skipping a start date, maybe a short 15 day DL stint, creative ways to save his pitch counts and innings will keep his arm in games later in the season.
I’m sure LA had an idea on how to preserve their investment.
When McCarthy returns at some pointe, this is another possibility to limit innings down.