LOS ANGELES — Hyeseong Kim did not sign with the Dodgers to play in the minor leagues.
“It’s not like I had the desire to go down to the minors. But if it all came down to it, I didn’t mind going down to the minors. It happened,” Kim said through his interpreter.
“I mean, just looking at our roster it’s full of great players. If worse comes to worse, I was definitely prepared to start in the minors. But my goal was to survive in Major League Baseball with the Dodgers. But if it all came down to it, I was okay with it.”
Asked to make some significant swing changes, Kim opened the season in Triple-A. He spent a month there before making his MLB debut with the Dodgers in May. He was back in Oklahoma City in August on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment, returning from a shoulder injury that he tried to play through with poor results.
The result is a debut season in the United States after making the jump from an All-Star career in South Korea that has featured more plate appearances in the minors (169) than the majors (161). Since returning to the Dodgers when rosters expanded at the start of September, Kim has watched a lot of Major League Baseball – but he hasn’t played much of it. He has started just four games this month and gone 1 for 14 in limited action. With the Dodgers facing five left-handed starting pitchers last week, Kim has not seen the field since the last inning of a 10-2 win in San Francisco eight days ago.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is honest about where Kim stands as his rookie season winds down and the postseason looms.
“I don’t feel comfortable with him versus left-handed pitching. Balls that are going away from him,” Roberts said recently. “I think with Hyeseong, I love the defense. … This is his first year in the major leagues and I think he’s done a great job.
“I think right now for Hyeseong, there’s too much chase out of the hitting zone and there’s not enough contact. So for me, when you chase a lot and you don’t make a lot of contact, that is not a good spot for the postseason. I think he’s going to be a very good player. He’s helped us out a lot this year. I just think that there’s a lot more growth as a major-league hitter that needs to happen. There’s not enough walk in there, again, because there’s a lot of chase. He’s growing. He’s going to get better. But I think right now (when it comes to playing time) I’ve got to think about guys that I feel that can handle postseason pitching. But I think that this experience for Hyeseong to be on the club, to be in a pennant race, I think this is going to help him going forward.”
Roberts acknowledged that Kim’s “defense, his versatility and his speed is a big benefit for a potential (postseason) roster.” This does not come as a surprise to Kim.
“Just like any player would say, getting a chance to play every day would obviously be ideal,” Kim said. “But understanding my role – each player has a different role on the roster. So understanding that, I just prepare if I get a chance to play.
“If I do make it to the postseason roster, I’ll focus on what I’m good at – pinch-running, substituting on defense. Those are two roles that I have in my mind.”
Whether he thinks he can hit left-handed pitching or should play more is not important, Kim said.
“As a player, I’m willing to do whatever the team wants me to do,” he said. “My opinion is not important. I’m just ready to do whatever the team asks me to do.”
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes praises Kim for being a “terrific athlete, 80 human being, 80 work ethic,” using the 20-80 scouting scale that is a second language in baseball.
Despite the limited contributions, Kim’s rookie season has not been a disappointment, Gomes said.
“Not at all,” Gomes said. “I think for Hyeseong he made some meaningful strides with his swing. We feel even better about the defense, the baserunning – which we thought highly of. He’s an excellent defender, can really run the bases. We think there’s going to be versatility there with the potential to play the outfield in the future at a high level. And I think some of the hitting growing pains – we’ve seen some high highs and some low lows. I think overall with his makeup and his work ethic we’ll bet on him being able to continue to make the needed adjustments to be a successful offensive player.”
Whether he develops into an everyday player or has to be platooned against left-handed pitching “probably depends on the adjustments” Kim still has to make, the GM said. Kim has been given just 19 at-bats against left-handed pitching at the major-league level and held his own with seven hits, including one of his two home runs.
“I think we’ll see based on the continued growth in the box,” Gomes said. “Now, we do feel there is some bat-to-ball in there. He is really fast and could really wreak havoc by bunting and shooting balls the other way.
“There’s still a lot to build upon offensively. We just didn’t have that much time to work with him. Spring training is not a great environment to make adjustments and then just get thrown into games.”
Largely thanks to a .383 batting average through the end of June, Kim has hit .283 against pitching vastly superior to what he saw during his eight professional seasons in Korea.
“Definitely the pitchers,” Kim said of the biggest challenge he faced in making the jump from the KBO to MLB. “Obviously the average velocity is higher. That’s probably the biggest difference. Just seeing higher velocity every day.
“Obviously I went through a hitting change, my stance and all that, and facing different pitchers every day. As a player, I’m learning something new every day. I’ve learned a lot this year.”
After they signed Kim for three years and $12.5 million (plus two club option years), the Dodgers traded the incumbent starter at second base, Gavin Lux, to the Cincinnati Reds for a draft pick (used on Arkansas outfielder Charles Davalan) and minor-league outfielder Mike Sirota (who has hit .333 with a 1.068 OPS at two Class-A levels this year).
Lux has hit .267 with a .723 OPS, playing an everyday role in left field, second base or third base for a Reds team that enters the final week of the regular season in contention for a wild-card spot – and potentially a first-round matchup with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers would make that deal again, Gomes said.
“Yeah,” he said. “Obviously Luxie was a big part of what we did last year and he’s had another good year this year.
“It’s hard to digest now because it’s not impacting the major-league team. But we basically got an additional draft pick and got a guy we really liked in addition to Mike Sirota, who is excellent. It’s the push and pull of – there’s not many times in our position where we are able to push value forward. When we have the opportunity to do it without taking a step back on the major-league roster, it’s a prudent thing to do.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 3.29 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Brandon Pfaadt, 13-8, 5.02 ERA), Tuesday, 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM
