The Los Angeles Dodgers have a pair of rookies who made the jump to stateside baseball this offseason. While Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki hailed from Nippon Professional Baseball, infielder Hyeseong Kim came from the Korean Baseball Organization.
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Kim recently spoke about how the transition has been for him this spring. The rookie won four Gold Glove awards with the Kiwoom Heroes, but finds himself competing for a roster spot with the Dodgers.
“There’s nothing easy about playing baseball in a new environment alone,” Kim said to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “Baseball is already a hard sport to play. But at the end of the day, being able to make my adjustments and the feeling of accomplishment I get from that will be greater than anything.”
Kim knew it would be difficult to earn a spot with the defending champions, but his defensive prowess has already impressed a number of his teammates.
“He can be a Gold Glove Award winner, a Platinum Glove winner, at second base — I can tell you that right now,” Miguel Rojas said. “The guy really makes the plays. He seems really athletic. He turns double plays really well. He’s not flashy at all. He just catches the ball and makes the play. I’m excited. He has the opportunity to do something special.”
Though Kim’s defense is premier, the Dodgers are still evaluating his potential in the lineup.
“I would say, if there’s one part of it, the question mark, I would say it is the bat,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The competition is different over there than here. … Obviously he’s going through some swing changes that he believes will help him also make this transition easier and sustainable.
“He bet on himself to come here and to compete, and so right now he’s in a competition to earn a job with us. I would say that that’s still all in play, and we don’t need to make a decision right now, obviously, but I would say that if there’s one thing that … still is in question is the bat. And I think that’s a fair thought on our part.”
Kim is one of several players competing for a roster spot. Chris Taylor, Andy Pages, James Outman and non-roster invites Eddie Rosario and David Bote are also fighting for a spot.