Infielder Hyeseong Kim, who stars for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes, has hired CAA Baseball to represent him ahead of his expected move to Major League Baseball in the upcoming offseason, reports Jeeho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. (Kim’s name is commonly written as Kim Hye-Seong or Hye-Seong Kim, but Yoo further notes via X that CAA specifically informed him the infielder will go by Hyeseong Kim if he indeed moves to North American ball.)
Kim, who’ll turn 26 next January, is old enough and has enough experience in a major foreign league to be considered a “professional” under Major League Baseball’s international standards. He’ll be exempt from international amateur free-agent bonus pools and thus able to sign a major league contract for any length and dollar amount with an interested team.
The former double-play partner of current Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim, the younger Kim is a lifetime .301/.361/.398 hitter in 876 games with the KBO’s Heroes. One of the primary knocks on his MLB outlook throughout his pro career has been a lack of power, but he’s begun to change that narrative in his age-25 campaign. The lefty-swinging Kim has appeared in 50 games and taken 224 plate appearances this year but has already set a new career-high with eight home runs. (He’d previously hit seven homers in two different seasons, including 2023.) Overall, Kim is slashing .309/.366/.471 this season — his fourth consecutive season with a .300 or better average.
Kim has also picked up seven doubles and a triple this season in addition to going 15-for-16 in stolen bases. The 6.7% walk rate Kim has posted so far in 2024 is a career-low — perhaps a sign of a more aggressive approach as he tries to showcase for MLB teams, speculatively speaking — but his minuscule 9.8% strikeout rate is also the lowest of his career. Kim has dropped his strikeout rate in every season of his pro career, beginning with a 25.2% mark back in 2018. He’s now seen as a hitter with plus contact skills, well above-average speed — he’s 195-for-226 (86.3%) in career stolen base attempts — and a strong glove in the middle infield.
Prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser ranked Kim ninth among the top-ten MLB prospects for fans to track (landing behind current big leaguers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jung Hoo Lee and Yariel Rodriguez). Glaser called Kim a plus defender at second base (and a capable defender at short) with a “preternatural feel for contact,” good pitch recognition and the ability to catch up to good velocity. At the very least, he could profile as a utilityman with high-end speed and contact skills, though it should come as little surprise if there are clubs who view him as a potential regular at second base. Given his age, Kim should find big league interest — particularly if he can continue his newfound power output.
CAA most famously represents Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani but is also one of the industry’s largest firms, representing dozens of clients, including high-profile names like Willy Adames, Sandy Alcantara, Corbin Carroll, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried, Lucas Giolito, Jon Gray, Josh Hader, J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner — among many others (as can be seen in MLBTR’s Agency Database).
doesnt he already play for the padres?
Someone get my boy Gwynning in here
Is it just me or does this site have mostly padres fans
Just you I think. I’ve seen fans from Yankees to the Athletics. Don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Rockie fan or a nationals fan though.
Padres need another shortstop so they will sign him
If you are good enough to play SS, you can play any other position besides maybe C. AJ is a little smarter than many of you claim acquiring all SS’s.
And maybe CF. There aren’t many SS that have transitioned well to CF. Kike and Taylor aren’t that great in CF (I recall kike being decent his first year in Boston). Besides them and Yount. Most SS are moved to corner outfield like Sheffield was if they go on the grass.
Jazz Chisholm has gotten better at CF after being a SS/2B
IKF can also play CF (he’s even played catcher)
There’s Rafaela in Boston where he can play both at an above average (was about to say elite but I don’t exaggerate) level
Chisholm could never play ss at the mlb, which is why he was moved to 2b then CF. IKF is 100% not an acceptable CFer, he’s covered it but he can’t hold it down like a regular. Rafaela is probably the closest but he hasn’t shown he’s a passable ss. I meant players that have proven at the mlb level they can play SS and have moved off it and shown they can play MLB OF.
Some teams will target the athletic, ss types in the draft, then maybe let them start their career at the position and move them, or move them right away. 2b is another. Have seen this for 20y with Boston doing this. Duran and betts are the 2 names can think of right away who were drafted as middle infielders, then of course teams do this. HOF’er Carl Yastrzemski was drafted as a 2b.
@johnsilver. 100%. I’m talking about signing someone to be on your 26 man right away. This player is going to be given an mlb contract from the get go, not many mlb players transition like that. Sure, you have prospects either draft or signing that start as ss then get moved off. It’s just like when American players move into more competitive leagues (a lot of previously good shortstops have to move to get playing time). I’m just talking of mlb starting caliber in one position being starting caliber in another.
CF is just as demanding as SS which is why you don’t have teams being able to plug and play such a n important spot.
Yhngc- Good point. Not exactly what you were describing, but how some players, initially middle infielders become tremendously gifted defensively center fielders. Have to think “smarts”, alongside athletic ability plays a good part in this. kiki hernandez, mookie Betts, now Jarren Duran has made himself into a gifted CF when he gets the chance to play it, as well as the current CF, converted IN Cedanne Rafaella whom expect to win 1 (or more) GG’s at CF in the future.
Playing so called up the middle positions requires more from a player than a corder, have always thought that.
Good points ubrought up.
Agreed. I didn’t want to bring up Betts purposefully because he’s like the exception to the rule. Dude can play GG caliber RF and 2b and at minimum can handle ss or cf without any noticeable drop overall team defensive performance. Rafaela has the looks of a player that can play both ss and cf, if he can get to the Betts point of being a consistent offensive player (whatever that may be for him) then Boston is sitting pretty.
As far as I’m aware, they’re not related.
Over 45% of Koreans have the family name Kim, Lee, or Park. And over 20% are Kims. Only 4% of the US have family names being Smith, Jones, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Miller, or Davis.
You might be on to something there.
Most contact less power hitters have a greater chance of decline. Look at Benintendi.
This guy is gonna look great in a Padres, Giants or Dodgers uniform.
Looks like another guy they can overpay.
Ridiculous. Because he’s Asian? he could be the next Shin Soo Choo. Would you post that if he was cuban, or dominican? Why not the next flop, like Rusney castillo?
Flop % from caribean islands as bad as from asia, but have noticed some here don’t seem to care for those players. it’s disgusting.
So there’s a Hye-Seong Kim and a Ha-Seong Kim and they were a double play combo but not related. What in the Twilight Zone is this?
Wait until you see the Catcher played with named Hoe-Seong Kim or the CF Huh-Seong Kim
Giants. Six years 113 million*.
Sarcastic faunt please.
Overrated. Guy belongs in the KBO.
He’s not the greatest hitter, but he can make contact and steal bases while providing quality defense up the middle. That still has value to a team even if he’s a 5-10 homer guy. He probably won’t get Ha-Seong Kim level money but he’ll do well for himself on a multi year deal as a super utility type.
So tired of the obsession of power. Luis Arraez does just fine with more contact skills.