Plans in camp for the new Dodger, plus talk of how his hitting challenges coming from KBO to MLB.
The Dodgers are fond of collecting players who can play multiple positions, and Hyeseong Kim figures to be the latest infielder/outfielder in the mix.
Kim, who won four Golden Glove Awards in the Korean Baseball Organization at shortstop and second base, signed a three-year, $12.5 million contract with the Dodgers in January, which includes a club option that can add two more seasons.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Camelback Ranch that Kim would play second base, third base, and center field this spring, per Sonja Chen at MLB.com:
Although Kim never logged any time in center in a KBO game, he made 44 appearances in left in 2020. He also grew up playing the outfield before he reached high school and feels more comfortable playing center field rather than a corner, as he prefers tracking down balls from that vantage point.
Whether the lefty-hitting Kim, who can be optioned to the minors, earns the heavy side of a platoon at second base will likely depend on how he hits. Early on in spring training, hopes are high for the 26-year-old.
From Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register:
“He has bat-to-ball skills, which is something that can’t really be taught,” hitting coach Aaron Bates said. “He has the ingredients to be great. It’s just kind of fine-tuning things. Obviously, he was a great player in Korea and has all the components, so it’s just kind of making some tweaks here and there, all the while, letting him play and play free mentally, and put his best foot forward.
In addition to Kim, the Dodgers also have Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, and Chris Taylor as players who could play the infield and outfield. Gavin Lux, the strong side of a platoon at second base in both 2022 and 2024 — with his ACL injury wiping out his 2023 season in between — is mostly limited to second base, which was a big reason why the Dodgers traded Lux to the Reds three days after signing Kim.
Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic talked to Lux in the Reds clubhouse in Goodyear on Monday.
“It was a little bit of a surprise, but it’s a business,” Lux said. “It is what it is,” Lux told Ardaya. “I think going through the knee stuff, dealing with that adversity, kind of set me up to be prepared for anything that gets thrown your way a little bit.”