At the end of April, I’m asking you a question.
Is Kim Hye-sung a necessary player for the LA Dodgers?
The Dodgers are cruising as of the 29th (Korea Standard Time). He is ranked second in the National League West with 18 wins and 10 losses. It’s half a game behind the San Francisco Giants. It’s a ranking that doesn’t mean much.
The team’s batting average OPS is 0.754, ranking third in the National League after the Chicago Cubs (0.784) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (0.780). It’s not bad in terms of the productivity of the batters.
In the meantime, Kim Hye-sung played in 24 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, hitting a batting average of 0.252 on-base percentage of 0.313 slugging percentage of 0.466. The adjusted scoring ability (wRC+) was 97, showing the league average level.
His ability to hit long balls exceeded expectations. So far, he has hit four home runs and posted a slugging percentage of 0.466. ISO, which subtracts batting average from slugging percentage, is 0.214, which is a career high level. The ratio of home runs to fly balls is 21.1%.
If the number of long balls increases, the number of strikeouts will inevitably increase. The strikeout rate was 26.1% and the walk rate was 6.1%, showing a slight disappointment in this sector.
In defense, he is also playing second baseman, shortstop, and center fielder. Being able to play all three positions, so-called “center line,” is a big asset.
However, the most outstanding part was speed. He is tied for second in the Pacific Coast League stolen bases with 12 stolen bases. Fast-forwarding team-mate Esteury Ruiz (13) by one.
When the Dodgers recruited Kim Hye-sung, three things they expected from him were speed, defensive diversity, and contact ability. It’s not very perfect, but it can be said that he is gaining experience by faithfully showing these three things.
Of these, speed will be the part that will appeal to him the most. The Dodgers currently have the fewest stolen bases in the National League with 13. The league’s mainstream is “running baseball,” but it has not been able to keep up with the trend.
Roberts also called Kim Hye-sung’s speed in the last spring camp “a capability we don’t have.”
It would be icing on the cake if he added speed and hitting. Hitting doesn’t have to be top of the league. It would be good if he could “go on the run” to save his speed.
The productivity problem of the lower lineup is the Dodgers’ biggest weakness this season. The OPS of the No. 9 batting order is 0.677, which is in the middle of the National League, but the No. 7 batting order (0.579) and the No. 8 batting order (0.538) are in the bottom five of the National League. It has a high-ranking lineup that will not be pushed back by any team, but the lower lineup is not keeping up.
The Dodgers will be hoping Kim will be able to scratch the itchy spots of these two teams. In this respect, it can be seen that Kim Hye-sung is currently heading in the right direction.
[San Diego (USA) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]
