TODAY: Kim is “resisting” a minor league demotion, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets.
MARCH 29, 8:55pm: Orioles GM Dan Duquette acknowledged on Tuesday that the team is planning to chat with Kim about going down to the minors, as Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun tweets. A return to South Korea is not in play right now, according to the GM, but he’s also not likely to make the team (Twitter link via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com). “I think in these cases, the transition takes some time and I believe he wants to give it some more time,” Duquette said (Twitter link via Encina).
Meanwhile, manager Buck Showalter says the O’s have twice talked to Kim about playing in Triple-A, Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets.
2:52pm: Hyun Soo Kim likely won’t make the Orioles‘ Opening Day roster, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Kim has been notably absent from the Baltimore lineup over the last several spring games, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com noted earlier today on Twitter.
Kim has expressed his desire to continue his career in North America, Kubatko has also reported. The Korean outfielder would need to consent to being assigned to the minors, and Rosenthal notes he’s believed to be willing to do so. It’s not clear whether Baltimore would attempt to option Kim or instead expose him to waivers to remove him from the 40-man, but he’ll have some say in the matter given the contract clause.
The Orioles brass has been sending signals that it hasn’t seen what it hoped for out of Kim when he was brought over from the KBO on a two-year, $7MM deal. That contract seemed like a nice risk for a player that looked to have a chance at being a steady on-base threat, and it does have rather limited downside. But the O’s aren’t exactly overflowing with exciting options for the corner outfield, and it would be nice to have a higher-OBP presence in a lineup full of high-K sluggers.
There’s plenty of time for Kim to turn things around, but he may need to acclimate in the minors. Spring stats are of limited value, but they carry increased importance when trying to assess a player who has yet to perform in the majors, and Kim’s don’t inspire confidence. He’s carrying an anemic .182/.229/.182 batting line with just one walk and no extra base hits over 44 plate appearances in camp.
He needs time to adopt. He’d benefit from a month in the minors.
*adapt, but I agree. I also like the idea of Rickard leading off and playing LF every day. I think Kim can make a positive impact on the team, but needs more time to adjust. Brady Anderson had only positive things to say about him during winter workouts, so the talent must be there.
Would Brady say anything otherwise publicly? I’m not criticizing at all, but he’s definitely a pro-player baseball official, and opts protecting his players as much as possible.
Why do you think he would benefit from that? Don’t you think that there is a reason why Pirates GM Neal Huntington stubbornly refused to send Kang to the minors last year.
1)Huntington confirmed that he has “zero intent to send [Kang] to the Minor Leagues.”
“He will be in [Spring Training] camp as a complementary player. He will give [Hurdle] a lot of [in-game] flexibility,” Huntington said. “He’s a nice all-around player who will have a successful Major League career as a regular. We just don’t know when that will happen.
“There will be a significant transitional period, and our immediate focus is to help with the cultural transition.”
2) “Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington told reporters that he still plans to have Jung Ho Kang on the Opening Day roster, despite his recent struggles this spring, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Manager Clint Hurdle indicated last week that Kang’s timing issues at the plate may have to do with his leg kick that begins his swing. Kang, who spent his previous nine baseball seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, is hitting .111 in 11 Grapefruit League games.”
3)”It remained unmoved while he languished on the bench in April as general manager Neal Huntington repeatedly defended the decision to not send Kang to the minors for more seasoning.
Huntington preached patience and Hurdle eased Kang into the lineup, staying sensitive to team chemistry.”
Jung Ho Kang (2015 ST): 9 for 45 (17 SO)
Hyun Soo Kim (2016 ST): 8 for 44 (6 SO)
I think this case just shows one of many differences between a smart team and a stupid one.
Great summary and reflections on how the Pirates handled Kang
Just because that strategy was right for the Pirates doesn’t mean that it is the right one for every MLB team.
Instead of baldly stating the obvious, why don’t you give an example or two to back up your opinion. svetlana has done that and in convincing fashion.
This was awesome. Very insightful.
As in fashion as it is around here to trash the Orioles let’s not make this out to be ‘Pittsburgh good, Baltimore bad”. It’s a little bit more complicated than that.
Every player and every situation is different
For instance:
Did Pittsburgh claim a Rule 5 player year that tore the cover off the ball in spring training?
Did they have other players without options that they liked more and wanted to keep?
The fact is the Pirates felt they had a spot on their 25 man roster for a guy they could wait on, whereas the Orioles don’t feel that way.
After a 1-21 start Kim went 8-23. I don’t get it. Kang had a miserable start too if I recall
I didn’t watch any of his AB, but 8-23 can be misleading, especially since all of his hits were singles. For all I know they were all duck snorts or bunts lol
I’m an O’s fan so I watched some of their spring games. Kim had a few good hard line drives and hard ground balls even if they weren’t hits. But there was a couple little bloop singles and slow rolling infield singles. It’s best for him and the team to start in AAA so he can get more accustomed to American baseball
Kang did have miserable numbers for much of spring training last year, but from what I recall it was good swings and decent at-bats with lousy results. 2 other factors that are different between Kang’s situation and Kim’s: Kang stuck as much for his defensive versatility in the INF as his bat, and I believe the Bucs are paying him more than the O’s are Kim, though I admit I could be wrong about that.
It’s Baltimore
*fart noise*
Terribly run? They are sending a player to the minors leagues so he can improve his game. At least the O’s don’t spend a few hundred million dollars for overweight and unproductive players.
Tell that to Albert Belle
Albert Belle – who was actually fantastic in a Baltimore uniform and then developed a degenerative hip problem that kept him out. Had nothing to do with being overweight, and he was actually very productive when able to play.
Everyone always poopoos the Belle signing, but really it was a great signing that just had unfortunate injuries.
I would like to thumbs up this.
Wait a minute? Are we talking about the same Albert Belle? The one who spent two years in Baltimore at the end of his career? His first season he hit 297/400/541 with more walks than strikeouts. The second year he hit 281/342/474. He hit 60 homers over those two seasons, after which he retired because of a degenerative issue with his hips. It was a long time ago, but he was still a really goop player for Baltimore.
Please, spare me from the hyperbolic chamber. Belle had a degenerative hip that the less strict physicals of that day did not catch. He most likely would have been productive if not for that.
Albert, don’t call me Joey, Belle
– 1999 – .297/.400/.541 – 37HR/117RBI
– fWAR – 3.6
– 2000 – .281/.342/.474 – 23HR/103RBI
– fWAR – 0.9
Pablo Sandoval
– 2015 – .245/.292/.366 – 10HR/47RBI (not really expected to hit HR/RBI like Belle)
– fWAR – (-2.0)
Chris Davis from 2019 says hi!
There it is
Come on Braves make that call. Pick up that phone and give them Markakis back. Play Inciarte in RF, Bourne in CF til Mallex is ready to take over for Bourne.
A Braves fan that doesn’t know how to spell Michael Bourn?
Nah for some reason whenever I type in using my phone that always pops in but since it’s such a problem for you I will make sure I go back and clear the e from now on.
Yeah, they have the need. IF Kim goes down, they have 4 OF on the 25 man roster. Wouldn’t mind having Bourn (with or without the E, haha) patrolling CF for half to 3/4 the season. Obviously so long as his option does not best. But Frenchy can spell RF and Inciarte to CF to make sure of that.
You guys realize that this is a different papi account right? He’s just messing around. The real one didn’t have a video avatar and was 10x more annoying
No I think this is the real one. Someone created a fake account titled “bigpapi4evr”, not “bigpapi4ever”, so to make his account identifiable from the fake one(s), he made the gif his profile pic.
Oh, well the comment is gone now maybe finally got banned
Could it really be? Is he gone or just teasing us for the day? LOL
I don’t see his post did they deleted it?
To me, this has more to do with Rikards’ standout play than Kim’s ineffectiveness. I’d admit that, Kim hasn’t been putting in the quality ABs they expected from him, but that may come with comfort level and time. Chen was a pitcher, but it took him some time to make the culture adjust too
Don’t Misplace this guy in your system how do you feel if you had to play in a country with Trump lovers. Send him down but keep tabs on him make him feel like he is needed
Um, what….?
I would love for the Angels to pick him up
His 3.5 mil per yr still counts against the luxury tax even if he goes to the minors. Since it is a Major League deal. Knowing that do you still want the Angels to pick him up?
Being an Oriole fan and watching some spring games. He makes contact but his bat looks slow. He really has to adjust to how hard they throw over here. He looks very average on defense also. So if his power doesn’t develop he will be an expensive singles hitter.
A whole 44 at bats since stepping onto this continent? Wow, such patience Baltimore has shown…this is a shame. He should have been playing every single day trying to give him the most opportunities to learn this league, but instead he has been riding the pine in Spring training while the front office tries to figure out the best ways to dump him. This really is horse dung. Sorry, but Baltimore knew there would be an adjustment period, and now they are pretty much walking away when he didn’t exceed expectations. I hope he leaves the Orioles and gets a shot with another team willing to have more patience than 44 AB’s for gods sake.
I don’t see how sending him to AAA is something the O’s should be shamed for. He’d still be getting paid the same either way. If he has the talent this will be a mere speed bump in his career.
Not to meddle in O’s business…… But… The Cubs sent Bryant down… he came up and won ROY…… Addison Russell didn’t start the year with the Cubs… but he displaced Starlin and went on to claim his SS role as well…
Correa rode on the AAA bus the first 5 weeks of 2015, he seems like a top 5 infielder….. Lindor, Trout, Jake Cy, Harvey, Thor, and even Fernandez started their first seasons in the minors, not breaking camp with the big lg squad…. If Kim is ready in a couple weeks… He’ll be back….. No need for trying to control his clock since he is on a guaranteed contract unlike everyone I have mentioned here that can have their service time controlled manually by the FO… so he must simply need the seasoning… which seems to be a good thing for him and his long term future in the Show…..
Good post! The cream always rises to the top. If he has the talent he’ll be up in no time.
Agreed!
Fernandez started that year in the rotation, even if he was sent down. He was brought back up to be the fifth starter a few days before the season.
Bryant was never sent down. He was in the minors, then in April of last year, was brought up for good.
Todd, I’m afraid I think you are completely wrong about this one.
“Spring stats are of limited value, but they carry increased importance when trying to assess a player who has yet to perform in the majors”
=> Spring stats are of limited value, “and they mean practically nothing in reality” when trying to assess a player who has yet to perform in the majors
Considering the fact that even a full season with 600+ PA can be a fluke, I think your notion is just ridiculous.
40+ ST at-bats for a player who is transitioning from KBO to MLB? Wow. Just Wow!
twitter.com/DanielKimW/status/714332518250446848
Just in case the defenders of the Orioles point out the Byung Ho Park’s relatively smooth transition from KBO to Majors, here are some excerpts from the article on Fangraphs.
fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-2016-prospects-…
“Park is going to mash in the big leagues. While Jung-ho Kang is a completely different athlete, it’s helpful to compare the two to get a sense for how well Park’s abilities will translate stateside. While Park had the higher strikeout rate in Korea, he also shows a better ability manipulating his bat to get the barrel on tough pitches. He drew more walks, and his simpler swing should allow him more time than Kang to read pitches, giving him a good chance of continuing to rack up free passes against big-league pitching.
With regard to his swing, Park is superior in nearly every way to Kang. He has a stronger lower half with more stability and a quicker drive, a shorter path to the ball with his barrel and more reliable lift that results in high line drives and hard fly balls everywhere between right and left field. Barring some unforeseen change in his approach, or a drastic reduction in his contact rate, Park has a high probability of outpacing Kang’s impressive production with the bat.”
So in your estimation the O’s should either cut Reimold who has shown he can hit MLB pitching when healthy. Or risk losing Rule V pick Joey Rickard who looks polished and Major League ready. So that Kim doesn’t get his pride hurt by going to AAA until he shows he can hit? You read like you’re an intelligent person. But I don’t think you’re looking at the whole picture with how it relates to the Orioles.
Just because the Pirates could afford to do it with Kang doesn’t mean the O’s can afford it. They can’t have a redux of Travis Snyder and David Lough this year. If they have any hope of competing this year.
PS.
If Joey Rickard wasn’t on the Rays 40 man roster. They must have one heck of a minor league system. He’s the most polished minor league outfielder I’ve seen don an O’s uniform since Nick Markakis. He just does everything the right way.
For some folks here it’s in fashion to trash the O’s , just learn to live with it.
It seems odd that teams are letting players include these “no-minors” clauses. It has hamstrung the Dodgers with the awful Alex Guerrero deal, and while it seems like Kim is willing to go to triple-A, it could have really hurt the O’s just with regard to roster flexibility. I mean, they could just release him and eat the contract, but that doesn’t seem like their tyle.
No wonder he’s no good. He can barely open his eyes
this is pretty cheap racist remark.
This just shows that the moderates don’t actually care what people say on here
What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
1
Are you talking to me?
No I wasn’t, sorry if I replied incorrectly. I meant that in response to the person making remarks about Kim’s eyes. (It was also a Billy Madison reference)
Ok thanks, I don’t under stand why MLBTR cares more about bigpapi4evers trolling than priscillaboonies racism
Having watched as many Orioles Spring Training games as were available on MLB.tv, Kim was lost at the plate for most of March. He was consistently getting fooled and not picking up pitches like others. His fielding was okay, but he misread balls often. This isn’t to say Kim is a bad player. On the contrary, I think he’ll be a very good player. he just needs some seasoning. Get him up in Norfolk and give him time to adjust. That should’ve been in the contract to begin with, but it looks like things will work out amicably.
Kim has a good future ahead of him if he can make that shift. The Orioles are making a good decision moving him down, particularly since Rickard is looking like a solid LF option. However, Christian Walker will be platooning with Kim in AAA as he’s trying to make the shift from 1B to LF so the Orioles can bring him up and use him soon.
Hopefully the hitting staff can get Kim to level things out and take that next step. If he can’t, $7 million isn’t too big of a gamble on a potential break out player.
He’s “resisting”…I can understand that–he probably thought he had negotiated a deal. While it might be in his longer term interest to go to the minor to sort things out, there’s no guarantee he will ever get called up. Maybe the o’s should offer to buy him out?
While there is no guarantee he’d get called up there was never any guarantee that he would make the 25 man roster. The Orioles never made such a promise.
If he want’s the $$$ he’ll accept the assignment.
Even if he is able to be unconditionally released, I’m not sure how many other clubs will want to sign him, especially if it’s conditional on his being on their 25 man roster. He’s been sitting over in the KBO for a years and the Orioles were the only club that made an offer….and he got beat out by a Rule 5 pick-up.
That’s not true that the Orioles were the only club that made the offer. It’s just that Kim accepted the offer from the Orioles primarily because they put the consent to be sent down to minors in writing..
I’m pretty sure there will be several teams, not many though, will offer him split contract so that they can have him spend some time in the minor and call up later when he gets ready.
He was ten years in the KBO……… while there may have been interest, to my knowledge no one was knocking down the door for him.
The Orioles made him, and offer and he accepted it.
Are you saying that another team will sign him to minor league deal (at minor league money) with a call-up/ opt-out provision?
If so, why not just go to Norfolk, stay in the Orioles organization and collect the $7M he’s owed? Given Nolan Reimold’s injury history he’ll be in Baltimore by May!
No, I wasn’t saying that another will sign him with a call-up/opt-out provision. As you may already know, Norfolk already has plenty of prospects at LF and other positions. Once he goes down, it’s not a guarantee that he’ll back in the major. So for Kim, there’s no incentive to go down to the minor at all with the Orioles..
If I were him, I would liked to get paid that $7 mil then, sign a contract with one of minor league teams and hope for a call up. Signing a minor league contract with another team may give him a better chance making a ML.roaster.
I suspect when they talked to him about going down he talked to them about playing time while he was down there (since they’re pretty stacked with players they want to split up time in the outfield between already – including a regular left fielder) and got no assurances. Its a bad situation here for him as well. If he can’t play if he goes down it really doesn’t help him make the adjustment to go down. While it helps the O’s from a roster stand point to get him down there, if they aren’t willing to give him some kind of incentive (playing time) there’s nothing in it for him and there’s a ton of risk to him that he’ll never come back up (since who knows if he’ll get a chance to play) so there’s no reason he’d accept the assignment.
The contract is what it is. The O’s negotiated it and shouldn’t have agreed to the provision if they were so opposed to it, so there’s no use in complaining about it, they’ll just have to eat the salary and release him. If they release him some other team that can fit him on the roster and give him time to develop will take a flier on him and pick him up. The big picture issue, as discussed in the story, for the O’s would be is this a big enough issue right now to kill a potential pipeline for prospects.
Orioles don’t have a clue about how to put a team together.They are the best bush league team in the majors.
The Orioles?
You mean the team that’s won more games than anyone else in the American League over the past four years?
One of the few clubs in all of MLB to not have a losing season over the past four years?
You mean those guys?