Home > Sports > Baseball

Kim Hye-seong heads to LA: How the KBO All-Star could fit into the Dodgers' plans

Published: 05 Jan. 2025, 15:05 Updated: 05 Jan. 2025, 16:11

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Kiwoom Heroes' Kim Hye-seong in action during a KBO game against LG Twins at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on July 3, 2024. [NEWS1]

Korean infielder Kim Hye-seong is set to enter the star-studded MLB stage after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers under a three-year deal worth $12.5 million with an option to extend for two more years.

Kim Hye-seong signed the deal on Friday, the last day of the 30-day negotiating window, and stands as the third big name to come out of the Kiwoom Heroes in recent years.

His former double-play partner was Kim Ha-seong, the Gold Glove-winning San Diego Padres shortstop, and he is close friends with Lee Jung-hoo, who signed with the San Francisco Giants under a $113-million deal.

Kim Hye-seong makes the international move on the back of an eight-year career with the Heroes in the KBO, during which he set a career batting line of .304/.364/.403, with 211 steals in 953 games.

He was a key player last year, setting career highs with 11 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .458 slugging percentage. He batted .326, his fourth consecutive season hitting above .300, and stole 30 bags — his seventh straight year with at least 20 steals.

Kim will soon start his career in the MLB, a league where fellow Korean players have left their mark, including former Dodgers pitcher Park Chan-ho, the first Korean player in MLB, and pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, who played for the LA team from 2013 to 2019.

What kind of career has Kim had and what could he bring to the Dodgers?

Executing multiple positions

Kim was a player to watch even before his professional debut in the KBO. He won the Lee Young-min Batting Award, given to the top-hitting high school player in Korea, in 2016, which allowed him to make his debut for the Heroes the following year.

He played in multiple positions from his early days, fulfilling his duties at second base, shortstop and third base, in addition to logging 44 games in left field in 2020.

He further rose to prominence after occupying the shortstop position after Kim Ha-seong left the team for the Padres in 2021. He won the Golden Glove at shortstop in 2021 and went on to win three more Golden Gloves at second base from 2022 to 2024, becoming the only KBO player to receive the award at shortstop and second base.

Kiwoom Heroes' Kim Hye-seong in action during a KBO game against the SSG Landers at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Aug. 4, 2022. [YONHAP]

His awards list does not stop there, with his notable defensive factors earning him the KBO’s inaugural Fielding Award in 2023.

Kim Hye-seong has also enjoyed success stat-wise, finishing the 2023 season with a .335/.396/.446 line, 29 doubles and seven home runs. His fast footwork saw him steal 25 bases in his sixth straight season with at least 20 bases stolen. From 2021 to 2023, Kim led the league in both hits, at 520, and steals, at 105.

National team career

Kim’s success in the KBO from his early days was enough to send him to the Korean national team, where he played as a regular pick.

Starting from his first major international tournament at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he continued to represent his country, competing at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 during which he recorded .292/.500/.370 in 18 at-bats. At Hangzhou, he also won a gold medal — earning him a military service exemption in the process.

Kim also appeared in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, although Korea did not see much success in the tournament.

On the Dodgers’ radar

Kim’s outstanding performance landed him directly on the Dodgers’ radar in March last year when the LA team and the Padres came to Korea for the MLB Seoul Series, during which the Korean national team played an exhibition game against the Dodgers on the sidelines.

Kim Hye-seong celebrates during a MLB Seoul Series exhibition game between the Korean national team and Los Angeles Dodgers at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on March 18, 2024. [YONHAP]

Kim doubled off Dodgers starter Bobby Miller by lacing a 96 mile-per-hour (154.49 kilometer-per-hour) fastball off the right field wall and came around to score later that inning.

He also picked up a knock in another exhibition game against the Padres, turning around a 93.9 mile-per-hour sinker for a single off Wandy Peralta.

Joining the Dodgers

While Kim’s success in multiple positions diversifies the ways the Dodgers could use him next season, he faces a quest of sealing a place in a team that includes MVP winners Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman.

Bettes can execute shortstop, while Edman is able to play at both second base and shortstop.

Kim also joins perhaps the most famous baseball player in the world, Shohei Ohtani, who welcomed the Korean teammate on Friday by leaving a message on Instagram in Korean that translates as “Welcome, buddy.”

Ohtani, who became the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season last year, is still a popular figure in Korea despite the longstanding sporting rivalry between Korea and Japan.

Kim will start the 2025 MLB season in March, with the Dodgers set to return to action on the back of their World Series title last year.

The upcoming season sets the stage for Kim Hye-seong to face his old teammates Kim Ha-seong and Lee.

San Diego Padres' Kim Ha-seong doubles off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in the second inning of a baseball game on Aug. 17, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. [AP/YONHAP]

Lee, who joined the San Francisco Giants last year, is expected to be back after a long injury that forced him to miss the second half of last season.

How Kim Ha-seong will face his old teammate Kim Hye-seong next season is unclear, however, as Kim Ha-seong remains a free agent on the market.

Kim Ha-seong, who had a successful season last year with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs and 22 stolen bases, has reportedly been linked to multiple teams, such as the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves.

A transfer would mark his first move in the MLB after three years with the Padres, where he became the first Korean to win the MLB Gold Glove Award in 2023.

The 2025 MLB season is set to begin on March 18 and runs through September.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]