ESPN: Hyun-soo Kim, Byung-ho Park profiles, thoughts on Asian talent, more notes

Their signings have slipped somewhat under the radar in recent weeks, but with everything quiet on the free-agent front for the time being, this offseason’s high-profile international signings, particularly the players from Asia, deserve a closer look. What do scouts think of these still-somewhat-unknown players, and what do their signed contracts indicate about where their respective international markets are heading in the near and long-term future?

Of those signings, the most notable was this past weekend’s reported Dodgers pact with Japanese righty Kenta Maeda, which we covered in detail here. The purported terms are unique: an eight-year deal with $25 million guaranteed and a host of incentives of unknown attainability and value. On the surface, the money seems light, especially now that the new NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball)/MLB posting agreement allows Japanese players to negotiate with all of the clubs that were willing to meet their posting fee requirement.

While Japanese players now enjoy something resembling a free market for their services under the new posting agreement, Korean professionals seeking new challenges in MLB remain able to negotiate only with the MLB team that submitted the highest posting bid. The lack of leverage Korean players wield during such negotiations has been evident this winter, epitomized by the Orioles’ two-year, $7 million deal with Korean outfielder Hyun-soo Kim.

Kim went undrafted out of Seoul’s Shinil High School — the same school that produced former Braves prospect Jung Bong — and signed with the Doosan Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006. In 2008, Kim won the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) batting title, a Gold Glove and was runner-up in the league’s MVP voting. He has been a household name in South Korea ever since.

The KBO’s hyper-inflated offensive environment forces us to pause when considering Kim’s .326/.438/.541 batting line from 2015. And while his freakish strikeout-to-walk ratio of 63-101 is far too impressive to simply ignore, it’s worth noting that former major leaguer Eric Thames, who posted a 47-6 K-to-BB ratio in 130 plate appearances with the Mariners in 2012 before heading to South Korea, also walked more than he struck out in 2015 KBO play.

Without a reliable large sample of KBO imports to set a statistical precedent, it’s difficult to lean heavily on Kim’s stats to determine what he might do in MLB, so we look to scouting for answers. Kim has some unique hitting traits: He can spray line drives to all fields despite the hips and feet of a pull-only hitter. That skill is the product of Kim’s natural swing path and his willingness to let pitches travel deep into the hitting zone before making contact. Because of Kim’s natural inclination to stride down the first-base line and open his hips early, scouts are concerned he may be vulnerable on the outer half of the strike zone and to off-speed stuff running away from him.

Kim’s instincts and surprising athleticism should make him an average to above-average defender in left field while he’s still in his physical prime. The league-average left fielder hit .256/.319/.411 in 2015, and all but the slugging percentage seem reasonably attainable for Kim, based on reports of his hitting acumen and approach. If he falls short on power, he’ll buy back some overall value with his glove. The two-year deal also will allow Kim to re-enter free agency before he turns 30 (unless the O’s lock him up, of course).

His fellow countryman, newly acquired Twins 1B Byung-ho Park, will not have issues with power.

via Hyun-soo Kim, Byung-ho Park profiles, thoughts on Pacific Rim talent, more notes – MLB.