Korean pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim when he was starting a game against the Japanese national team during the 2008 Summer Olympics
South Korea’s OSEN reported that the San Diego Padres had offered Korean pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim (Incheon SK Wyverns) 2 million dollars as his posting price. Korean baseball columnists and critics are showing mixed reactions regarding the Padres’ decision, and are still waiting on the Incheon SK Wyverns’ decision as to whether they will allow their best starting pitcher to leave the team to play for the Major Leagues.
The Union Tribune, a San Diego local newspaper expressed that the Padres are considering Kim more as a reliever than a starter. Some Korean sports critics expressed that if the Padres had only considered Kim as a reliever then 2 million dollars is a relatively high sum of money. Kim is the second Korean pitcher who played under the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) to enter the Major Leagues via posting after Hyun Jin Ryu (Los Angeles Dodgers). The Union Tribune commented that Kim was indeed one of Korea’s finest left-hand pitchers, but still not as impressive as Ryu. Kim’s posting price is less than 10 percent of what the Dodgers had offered Ryu in 2013.
There have been many opinions as to why the Padres are refusing to guarantee Kim a spot in their starting rotation. For one thing, MLB scouts who actually witnessed Kim’s performance in the 2014 KBO season expressed that his pitching pattern is just too simple. Kim has a good fast ball and slider, but his other changeups are not especially superior compared to other pitchers.
Some of Kim’s critics also pointed to his lack of control. His ERA after this season was 3.42 (28 starts, and 172 2/3 innings), but had allowed a staggering 81 walks while striking out 145 batters. In addition for the past 3 seasons, Kim had to suffer through a number of injuries in both his shoulder and left elbow. Some MLB scouts expressed concerns of these injuries hindering his performance under the MLB.
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According to MLB Radio, Bud Black, the manager of the Padres expressed that Kim needs to master a changeup in order to survive in the big leagues, though he complimented the pitcher for his 90-mile fastball and slider. Black himself was a left-hand pitcher in his professional career.
According to South Korea’s OSEN, Kim had expressed great enthusiasm in crossing the Pacific Ocean to play for the Padres. Kim had expressed that he had dreamed of playing for the Major Leagues ever since he was in middle school, and also expressed great gratitude for his team, the Wyverns for taking the time to negotiate with the Padres. Kim and the Wyverns must make a decision by the 30th whether they are going to make him KBO’s second MLB player, otherwise Kim will have to wait a few more years until he is a free agent.
Many Korean baseball fans both from and outside Korea, are expressing great excitement at the prospect of another Korean player joining the National League West Division.
