Newest Dodger Kim Hye-seong expected to be in utility role
This image, captured from the official X page of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jan. 4, shows the club's new South Korean player, Kim Hye-seong. Yonhap
Unveiled as a Los Angeles Dodger this weekend, South Korean infielder Kim Hye-seong will likely serve in a utility role if he makes the big league roster come March.
The Dodgers announced their three-year, $12.5 million deal with Kim on Friday afternoon (U.S. local time). The club has an option for two additional years that would allow Kim to make up to $22 million over five years.
Kim had been posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs on Dec. 4, and the deadline to sign a deal was 5 p.m. Friday (Eastern Time), or 7 a.m. Saturday (Korean Standard Time). The deal was first reported in the wee hours of Saturday here.
Kim has been a star second baseman for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in recent years. Kim spent the early part of his career, which began in 2017, playing all over the diamond. While second base remained his primary position, Kim also spent time at shortstop, third base, left field and right field.
He was the Heroes' regular shortstop in 2021, right after teammate Kim Ha-seong left for the San Diego Padres, but returned to second base for 2022 and has stayed there since.
Kim Hye-seong has batted .304/.364/.403 for his KBO career, with only 37 home runs in 953 games. He had a career-high 11 home runs last year but just one over his final 54 games. Power has never been his game, with defense and speed his main calling cards.
Kim won the first two editions of the KBO Fielding Award at second base in 2023 and 2024. Since 2018, Kim has stolen more bases than any KBO player with 211.
And as he joins the Dodgers, a deep squad fresh off a World Series title in 2024, Kim will have to lean on his speed and his defensive versatility to make a name for himself in MLB.
The Dodgers don't seem to have a glaring need at either middle infield position. They plan to have former MVP Mookie Betts at shortstop at the start of the new season, with Gavin Lux set to be their primary second baseman for the second straight year.
Others who could handle those two positions are former Gold Glove winner Tommy Edman, and veterans Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas. Betts also logged 18 games at second base last year.
With Edman expected to spend time in center field after doing so last year, Kim will likely battle Taylor and Rojas for playing time as a backup middle infielder.
Kim could become the next Dodger utility man, following in the footsteps of Kike Hernandez, the only position player from the 2024 World Series team not under contract with the Dodgers. Hernandez remains a free agent.
Rojas, 35, and Taylor, 34, both had up-and-down 2024 seasons during which they were slowed by injuries. They are both entering the final season of their contracts.
Regardless of what happens to those veterans, Kim will have to work his way onto the roster. His contract does not include a clause that would allow him to refuse an assignment to the minor leagues, according to his agency, Creative Artists Agency.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told SportsNet LA that the team will take a wait-and-see approach on where Kim may end up playing.
"I think we'll see how things play out and progress and continue to have those conversations, making sure that we're setting up a good foundation for him to be as successful as possible," Gomes said
He then spoke about how the Dodgers are "really excited" to have Kim.
"We're talking about a double-plus runner, a really good defender at multiple spots, and some real upside with the bat," Gomes added.
The Dodgers got a close look at Kim in March last year, when they were in Seoul to play the South Korean national team before opening the regular season with a two-game series against the Padres.
After Kim played strong defense at second base and smacked a double off Bobby Miller, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said: "Our scouts like the second baseman: just the way his body moves. There's some life to the bat, and defensively, he made a nice play out there."
Gomes was similarly effusive.
"I think there was that dynamic athlete and explosiveness that he showed in that game against us that really stood out," Gomes said. "When you're able to add somebody with that type of athleticism and that tool package, it's something that we're really excited about." (Yonhap)