I can't believe I'm going to fix Kim Hye-sung… The Dodgers have plans. They have to spend the next five years
I can't believe I'm going to fix Kim Hye-sung… The Dodgers have plans. They have to spend the next five years
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He was a highly successful player in the KBO League. Unlike Lee Jung-hoo (27) of the San Francisco Giants, who entered the Major League a year earlier, he did not stand out from the beginning, but he complemented his weaknesses step by step and eventually stood out as an infielder representing the KBO League. He also made progress in base running, defense, and offense, and played an active role in the national team.
Kim Hye-sung declared her bid for the Major League after the 2024 season, and finally grabbed the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers after a month of posting. She signed a three-year guarantee of 12.5 million U.S. dollars and a three-plus two-year maximum of 22 million dollars. Although it may not be a big deal for the star corps Dodgers, whose total annual salary exceeds 300 million dollars, it can be said that the Dodgers, which do not waste money, chose it.
Kim has played in 953 games in the first division for eight years in the KBO league. Her overall batting average was 0.304. It is certain that her batting average will drop in the Major League, but Dodgers officials are also giving high marks to her contact ability. On top of that, her defense at second base and shortstop has been proven to some extent. The Dodgers also gave high marks to Kim's strength, and entered the race to recruit Kim. However, the Dodgers are not satisfied here. I believe she will become a better player.
Usually, players who are recruited as free agents have their own success so far, and the club does not touch much in particular. They follow the original routine first, but if there is a problem later, the club advises or intervenes. They are not players that are being nurtured by the Minor League. However, the Dodgers started remodeling Kim as soon as its spring training began. It even feels as if the Dodgers recruited Kim after watching Kim for a long time and making sufficient preparations. He said he knew about the complementary points from the time of signing the contract, and jumped into the recruitment race with strong preparedness and confidence on how to improve them.
It was heralding that she would be multi-positioned in defense. Kim saw shortstop and second baseman when she was in the KBO League. She is very familiar with the two positions. However, the Dodgers plans to use Kim not only in the two positions but also in the outfield and third base. She is practicing defense in the center field. Kim Hye-seong also played in the left field several times when she was in the Kiwoom, so this position is not unfamiliar to her at all. However, she needs more thorough preparation, not that she has much experience. A mistake in the outfield itself means a big accident.
Scouts from Major League teams assessed that Kim Hye-sung had the ability to play in center field sufficiently when he was playing in the KBO League. Given this, it is not strange that the Dodgers experimented with Kim Hye-sung as a center fielder. Expectations are high that he will be able to adapt to third base defense relatively easily because he has seen shortstop and second baseman. Although his range and movements are different, expectations are high as Kang Jung-ho and Kim Ha-sung, senior shortstop players, have also adapted to third base defense without difficulty.
Rather, attention is paid to the hitting part. The Dodgers is working to fix Kim Ha-sung's batting mechanism from the beginning of its spring training. It introduced new batting mechanisms to the players and explained what kind of expected effects are expected. Kim Hye-sung is a batter who has hit .300 in the KBO League, but the Dodgers decided that there should be some improvement in order to survive at the Major League level. This can be embarrassing for a player, but Kim is also faithfully following the training.
"What he needs is adjustment of swing and adaptation to pitchers at this level," LA Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes said of Kim Hye-sung's batting modification at the "MLB Media Day" held in Phoenix, Arizona on the 19th (Korea time). It will be better if he understands how the opposing pitcher comes in and can respond to it. Of course, it's not something he can do overnight, but I expect him to make the necessary adjustments and grow further."
"Although we have made many improvements, our batting coaching staff is also satisfied with his current condition. In particular, adjustments to the usage and stride of the lower body are being made, and the movement to clearly support the ground has improved," Gomes said, hinting at the approximate improvement plan. "I can see that he is making efforts. Some swings are excellent, and some challenges remain. However, that is also a learning process. He has very high adaptability, so we are looking forward to it as well." 메이저사이트
Kim Hye-sung's own explanation is that he is trying to make quite a big change, not just change slightly. Kim Hye-sung said, "There is a part that is changing in hitting right now. I am paying the most attention to that part. I am changing all the upper and lower body movements. The club has analyzed everything, so I am changing everything. It is still in the stage of changing, so there are some uncomfortable and awkward parts. I think I need to practice a lot and adapt quickly." It means looking at both the upper and lower body as a whole, which can be a very difficult task for a player who has been fixed in one batting form for a long time.
"I'm not changing it because of long hitting. I'm supplementing it because there are problems in the club's eyes. It's not about completely changing one's style and image," Kim said. "I found out exactly what I thought was a problem while playing baseball through the analysis program. The club also taught me how to practice, so I'm changing everything," Kim said. "We're changing everything. As baseball is a sport of probability, we're changing the swing to one that increases probability." As players understand and accept the club's direction, chances are high that they will adapt faster.
Kim Hye-sung is actually a player who needs to get good results at exhibition games right away. He is included in the 40-member roster, but has no right to veto the minor league. He must secure his position through fierce competition in the spring training.