The Korea Baseball Organization announced last night that MLB has tendered status checks on two players: second baseman Hyeseong Kim and first baseman/catcher Baek-Ho Kang (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). That indicates both players are on the radar of at least one MLB team, though only Kim seems likely to make the jump this offseason.
A status check is the process used when an MLB team shows interest in a Korean player. MLB does not reveal the identity of the team or teams that requested the check. It is not an official opening of the posting process, which begins a 30-day window for a KBO player to negotiate with big league clubs.
The status check doesn’t mean that a player is going to come to MLB, though it’s a necessary first step for any player who eventually does so. Last offseason, status checks presaged postings and MLB deals for Jung Hoo Lee and Woo-Suk Go. MLB also conducted a status check on free agent reliever Deok Ju Ham, but he elected to re-sign with his KBO team a few weeks later.
Regarding Kim, the status check is a formality. The lefty-hitting infielder (not to be confused with MLB free agent Ha-Seong Kim) has prepared for a move to MLB since last winter. Kim has played parts of eight KBO seasons with the Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes. The Heroes announced in January that they would make him available to major league clubs during the 2024-25 offseason via the posting system. Kim hired CAA as his representation in June.
The 25-year-old hit .326/.383/.458 across 567 plate appearances this year. He’s a career .304/.364/.403 hitter. KBO pitching is much weaker than it is at the major league level. Scouting reports generally suggest Kim profiles as a utility player. MLB teams enamored with his glove could view him as a low-end regular at second base. He doesn’t have a ton of power upside, as this year’s 11 home runs represent a career high. Kim will very likely be posted later in the offseason. Last year, the Heroes waited until early December to post Lee. The LG Twins did the same with Go.
Kang, who plays for the KT Wiz, is reportedly not interested in pursuing an MLB opportunity at this time. Kurtz points to a Korean-language report from Sports Kyunghang in which team officials say that they confirmed with Kang that he intends to remain with the Wiz despite the status check. (The status check is only an indication that an MLB team is interested in the player, not the other way around.) Kang hit 26 home runs with a .289/.360/.480 batting line this season. FanGraphs wrote last offseason that Kang had plus power but projected as a first baseman with questions about his pure hitting ability as an MLB prospect.
