Dodgers giving rookie Hyeseong Kim every chance to | College News

PHOENIX — At the top of infield exercises most days during spring coaching, the Dodgers do a live-fungo drill by which every participant has to discipline a ball cleanly and make an correct throw to first base. If one fielder bobbles a grounder or makes an errant throw, all of them have to begin over again.

Whether it’s rookie hazing, mettle testing, or each, the Dodgers often drive new infielder Hyeseong Kim, the 26-year-old from South Korea, to go final, with different infielders chanting, “Let’s go Dodgers!” because the grounder is hit in an attempt to rattle Kim whereas shortstop Mookie Betts is encouraging followers to take part on the mantra someday.

“We kind of make him work a little bit and get him used to feeling the pressure in those situations, trying to simulate two outs in the ninth inning, and he’s gotta make a big play,” Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman stated. “I don’t think he’s missed one yet.”

Roki Sasaki, the extremely coveted 23-year-old right-hander who’s making the leap from Japan to the foremost leagues, is producing essentially the most curiosity and intrigue in Dodgers camp, however Kim, the slick-fielding utility man who received 4 Gold Glove Awards within the Korean Baseball Organization, is a close second.

Will the left-handed-hitting Kim, a lean 5-foot-10, 176-pounder who was a .304 hitter in six-plus KBO seasons, give you the option to deal with the upper velocity and nastier breaking balls and off-speed pitches that he’ll see within the U.S.?

Will he hit for more energy within the main leagues than he did in Korea, the place he produced simply 37 homers and 150 doubles in 953 video games, or proceed to be more of a slap hitter who depends on contact and pace?

Will Kim give you the option to play shortstop, third base and the outfield nicely enough to turn into the utility participant the Dodgers envision? Or will his potential defensive shortcomings at these spots relegate him to second base?

It will take a number of weeks, maybe months, for these questions to be answered, however after two weeks of camp, veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas is sure of no less than one factor:

“He can be a Gold Glove Award winner, a Platinum Glove winner, at second base — I can tell you that right now,” Rojas stated. “The guy really makes the plays. He seems really athletic. He turns double plays really well. He’s not flashy at all. He just catches the ball and makes the play. I’m excited. He has the opportunity to do something special.”

Kim’s best place is clearly second base, as evidenced by the {hardware} he has earned and the KBO spotlight reels he has produced, however the Dodgers plan to absolutely check his versatility this spring earlier than scrapping the utility man thought.

Kim performed shortstop in Saturday’s exhibition recreation towards Kansas City, booting a first-inning grounder for an error earlier than fielding three grounders cleanly and throwing to first base within the third and fourth innings.

Manager Dave Roberts stated Kim can even get begins in heart discipline, a place he has by no means performed in Korea, the nook outfield spots and third base.

“I think that we’ve got a lot of different options,” Roberts stated of Kim’s defensive potential. “We know that he can play second. James [Outman] and Andy [Pages] are competing in center field, and Tommy [Edman] can play there, but there’s not a lot of downside to having another left-handed option that can play center.

“I think the floor is, we know he can play second base, but we can kind of experiment and see what his comfort level is in other spots.”

How a lot Kim performs might in the end be decided by how nicely he hits, and how nicely he hits will likely be decided by how nicely he adjusts to pitching within the main leagues, the place the average fastball velocity of about 94 mph final season was significantly increased than the KBO average of 90 mph.

Kim, working with hitting coaches Robert Van Scoyoc and Aaron Bates, has already integrated a number of mechanical modifications to his swing, and Edman, who performed with Kim on South Korea’s 2023 World Baseball Classic crew, stated Kim appears to be like stronger and more bodily now than he did two years in the past.

“I know the higher velocity is going to be a little bit of a transition for him, but I think his swing will adapt well, since it isn’t super long, like a lot of swing-and-miss guys have,” Edman stated. “He’s a more contact-oriented guy, and I think that will allow him to adjust to the velo a little bit easier than someone else.”

Some of Kim’s changes will come nicely earlier than he steps into the batter’s box — they’ll come within the video room and in conferences with coaches and members of the analytics workers.

“He’s in a league where everybody has really good stuff, and they’re gonna figure him out and try to attack his weaknesses,” Rojas stated. “So how quickly he can adjust back to the league is going to be important.”

The Dodgers took a bit of a gamble after they signed Kim to a three-year, $12.5-million deal with choices for 2028 and 2029 that would enhance the deal to $22 million. Only a handful of Korean place gamers, most notably outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and infielder Ha-Seong Kim, have thrived within the massive leagues.

But the Dodgers consider Kim has the aptitude, athletic potential and work ethic to be a productive big-league participant.

“You see the swing path, the makeup, the work ethic and how coachable he is, and that was through the roof,” Dodgers normal supervisor Brandon Gomes stated. “So then you’re betting that there’s bat-to-ball there … you bet on the athlete and the ability to make adjustments. There’s a lot of really good pieces in place.

“But there’s really no way to simulate that other than to see major league pitching and high-end pitching that is different from what he’s seen in the past. So we’ll continue to evaluate and bet on him making the adjustments down the road.”

Kim went hitless in 4 at-bats with one strikeout and one stroll in his first two exhibition video games earlier than hitting a single and drawing a stroll Sunday. While it’s far too quickly to draw any conclusions about his early play, he’s keen to acquire a few hits.

“Everyone has been welcoming — the transition period hasn’t been a problem because everyone has been great to me so far,” Kim stated via an interpreter. “But now it’s time to show a bit more results and show that I’m ready to play in Dodger Stadium.”