Twenty-year-old ace Kim Ra-kyung signs with new agent after Tommy John surgery

Kim Ra-kyung, left, poses with Brion Company agent Park Hee-jin after signing a management contract with the company on Feb. 3. [BRION COMPANY]

Korean women’s baseball ace Kim Ra-kyung has signed a management contract with Brion Company as she looks to return to professional baseball after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.

The twenty-two-year-old, who joined Japanese business baseball team Ashahi Trust last year, had to return to Korea due to injury and is still undergoing rehabilitation after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Still enrolled in Seoul National University as an undergraduate student, Kim is hoping to focus on both her studies and baseball while signed with Brion Company.

“I wanted to be competitive and keep my options open by working with a professional management company with a structured approach to player management,” Kim said. “I think that as a partner who can work with me toward the continuous development of women’s baseball, Brion was the right choice for its conspicuous work in various business areas besides baseball.”

Kim was called up to the national women’s baseball team in 2015 when she was just 15, becoming the youngest person to join the squad. She then played in the 2016 Women’s Baseball World Cup, where Korea finished sixth out of 12 teams.

Kim came to prominence in the LG Cup International Women’s Baseball Tournament in 2019, when she recorded a quality start against the United States.

Park Hee-jin, head of Brion Company’s baseball team said, “Kim has both the talent and character and is an iconic women’s baseball player. She is having a break for a while, but we will prepare a bridgehead in order for her to reenter the Japanese baseball stage in two to three years.”

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]