Potential big leaguer Kim Hye-seong 'disappointed' with final KBO season
Potential big leaguer Kim Hye-seong 'disappointed' with final KBO season
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Kiwoom Heroes second baseman Kim Hye-seong established career highs in home runs and RBIs this season, potentially his final one in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), as the 25-year-old is about to be posted for interested Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs. In June, Kim signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), whose clientele includes two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani.
As his own harshest critic, though, Kim gave himself barely a passing grade for the 2024 campaign Monday, moments before the Heroes' regular-season finale against the SSG Landers in Incheon, just west of Seoul. With a career-altering move to the majors looming, Kim, the speedy and slick-fielding infielder, had higher expectations for himself.
"I'd give myself 55 points out of 100 for my performance this year. I've been really disappointed with myself," Kim told reporters in the visitors' dugout at Incheon SSG Landers Field. "The team will finish last for the second straight year, and that's a shame. I think I did okay defensively this year, but I fell short of my goals offensively."
By advanced fielding metrics, Kim hasn't just been the best second 스포츠 basemen in the KBO this year; he has been one of the best defenders at any position, period.
At the plate, Kim reached the double figures in homers for the first time in his eight-year career with 11, and drove in 75 runs while stealing 30 bases. And a 327/.384/.459 line is nothing to sneeze at, especially for someone previously known for his defense.
But Kim said he wanted to hit for more power this year. He had 10 homers in the first half of the season but only one in 53 games after the All-Star break.
"It is just ridiculous to hit 10 homers in the first half and then just one more in the second half. I just have not been good enough. There's nothing else to it," Kim said, shaking his head. "I think I might have been trying to do too much."
Kim is eligible to be posted after the completion of this season, and the Heroes have already agreed to make him available for MLB teams. Kim is hoping to follow in the footsteps of four ex-Heroes players who reached the majors via posting, most recently his close friend and outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, who signed with the San Francisco Giants last year.
Kim admitted the pressure of having to put up big numbers before being posted affected him at times this year. Many of Kim's games have seen a handful of MLB scouts in attendance, tracking the player's moves and taking notes to be shared with their scouting staff and front office.
"I think I've been able to learn from this whole experience. I realized having the mental strength is as important as having good physical skills," Kim said. "But that is not why I struggled at the plate in the second half. I had set high goals to push myself as a baseball player, but I tried too hard to get there."
Another reason for Kim's disappointment is that this season is the first one of his career in which his batting average dropped from the previous season. He batted .335 last year but arrived in Incheon carrying a .327 average. He also missed more times than he would have liked with nagging injuries.
As he tries to put those memories behind him, Kim said it hadn't dawned on him yet that he is about to embark on a new journey.
"I am not a sentimental type. I am not feeling any special emotion of playing my last game here," Kim said. "Maybe once I sign a major league contract, then it will hit me. But now, I am just trying to stay in the moment."
If a KBO player is posted and then signs a deal with an MLB team, that player's former KBO club will receive a certain portion of that deal as a release fee. There have been instances when other teams had been reluctant to let their players go to MLB because they weren't pleased with the offer on the table.
Kim said he was grateful for the opportunity to challenge himself in MLB.
"Obviously, if I get a really bad offer, it won't be easy to leave. But ultimately, I want to go test myself there," Kim said. "No matter how things turn out, I am going to give it my best shot."
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