Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) succeeded in securing his position by squeezing the gap as big as a "needle hole."
The U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) Dodgers released veteran utility Chris Taylor as a transfer of title on Wednesday (Korea time). Tommy Edman, who was exited from his team's roster due to an ankle injury, returned to the mound, and needed to clean up his position on the big league roster. Taylor made the decision. Kim Hye-sung, who has recently shown off a robust batting performance, succeeded in surviving the big league and presented himself with an opportunity to continue showing off his skills.
Taylor has 12 years of experience in MLB. He played 1,093 games with a batting average of 0.250 (846 hits in 3,387 times at bat) with 108 homers, 433 RBIs and 89 steals. Notably, he played for 10 years since 2016 while wearing the Dodgers uniform. Except for the first base, he was able to move to all three infield positions and outfield, which was highly utilized by all players.
He also had moments of winning the World Series in 2020 and 2024. He was once named an All-Star in the National League (2021). He thus expressed competition with Kim in terms of utility resources. However, he failed to avoid the aftermath of the aging curve that began last year. At the age of 35, he played in 28 games and only posted a batting average of 0.200 (four hits in 35 times at bat) in this season. His on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in the last two years is 0.580 for 115 games.
On the other hand, Kim Hye-sung strengthened his position quickly after being promoted to the big league on the 4th. He is the 28th Korean big leaguer in history. Of course, it was not smooth. He signed a three-plus two-year contract with the Dodgers through a posting system (closed competitive bidding) ahead of this season, but after falling behind in competition, he opened the game in the minor league.
He has been changing his batting form since the exhibition game and has been playing for the Oklahoma City Comets, a Triple-A club under the Dodgers, without hesitation. He has posted a batting average of 0.452 (14 hits in 31 at-bats), one homer, five RBIs and three steals (failed to steal 0) in 14 games this season. Notably, he has posted nine consecutive on-base hits since the game against the Athletics on Saturday. He tied with Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers in 2015, which is the most consecutive on-base hit by a rookie for the Dodgers.
MLB.COM, the official website of MLB, predicted that Kim Hye-sung's survival in the big league will continue. "The Dodgers, who chose to break up with Taylor, are expected to keep Kim Hye-sung on the roster even after the return of outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who is currently absent," he said. "In particular, the bench left-handed hitter Kim Hye-sung and catcher Dalton Rushing will balance the batters."
Meanwhile, Kim's immediate task is to overcome the "flatoon system." He was excluded from the starting lineup when a left-hander from the opposing team started the game. The Dodgers faced off against Tyler Anderson and Yusei Kikuchi, respectively, at the match against the Angels on April 18 and 19, leading to Kim's two consecutive starts on the bench. It is imperative that the Dodgers show a wider range of charms, regardless of whether they have a small chance in the future. 온라인바카라