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TT: Something to consider when talking about Hyun Soo Kim

Tony-OH

By Tony-OH
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Tony-OH Hangout Grand Counsel

Tony-OH

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A lot of folks, including myself have penciled in Hyun Soo Kim when making out potential everyday lineups for the Orioles in 2016. Honestly, part of the reason I've put him in those lineups without seeing him play is mostly due to the fact of limited other options.

However, there are some red flags that make me wonder whether Kim will end more of a 4th outfielder/DH more than an everyday guy. Sure, the 28-year old Kim comes over after posting gaudy .326/.438/.541/.979 slash line with a career best 28 home runs and 101 walks in 630 PAs. That seems great until you see that former Orioles farm hand Eric Thames, who put up a robust .252/.315/.356/.671 slash line at Norfolk in 2013, basically is Barry Bonds in Korea after slashing .381/.497/.790/1.288 with 47 home runs, 103 walks and 40 stolen bases. Honestly, if we are going off of stats, maybe the Orioles should have signed Thames to a minor league contract since he outperformed Kim and is only 14 moths older.

The KBO has a wide mix of players, but most consider the talent level to be somewhere in the vicinity of High-A ball to AA. Nothing against Thames, but when he can suddenly put up Barry Bonds-esque numbers you definitely have to wonder about the talent level.

The next concern is Kim's reported weight of 240 pounds when he signed. Not exactly known as a defensive whiz, Kim's reported weight in the KBO was around 210 so either it was under reported or he's eaten a lot of kimchee late. I've never seen the guy play and I know it's being reported that Brady Anderson is working with him this offseason, but a 6-2, 240 pound guy who plays LF in the KBO does not make me think he's going to be plus defender. I could be wrong, but it's a concern.

Add in the fact that the Orioles signed him relatively cheaply (2ys/7mil) and you have to think there wasn't a ton of teams breaking down his door to come to America.

I think his contract is worth a shot and his upside is that he could be a decent OBP guy, but at the same time, we might be getting ahead of ourselves if we start assuming he's the full-time left fielder.

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Babypowder Hangout Veteran Council

Babypowder

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Kimchee is very low calorie Tony, I don't think it's the problem.

I don't think anyone is expecting Kang like success for Kim. If they can get 1-2 wins a year out of him in LF I will consider it a good deal.

Galbi or Bulgogi are more likely culprits, at least they would be for me.

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jamalshw All-Star

jamalshw

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I think Kim was signed as the everyday (or at least platoon option) in LF, but he's not going to given the role. He's going to be the favorite. It'll be his to lose, but he could lose it. If we add more certainty in RF (at least a platoon option for Reimold), then I'm okay with taking a shot with Kim everyday in LF. He's not billed as an elite defender, but from what i'm reading the consensus is he'll be serviceable in the field. I'm hoping that OBP translates to a solid OBP in the majors, but we will see. With Alvarez, Navarro, Rickard and others as additional 'shots in the dark' to back him up, i think it's a fine gamble.

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OFFNY Hangout Grand Counsel

OFFNY

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Kimchee is very low calorie Tony, I don't think it's the problem.

I don't think anyone is expecting Kang-like success for Kim. If they can get 1-2 wins a year out of him in LF, I will consider it a good deal.

Galbi or Bulgogi are more likely culprits, at least they would be for me.

Or rice. Can always be rice.

Rice is nice.

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Aristotelian Hangout Grand Counsel

Aristotelian

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It will be very interesting to fill in the question marks at the end of 2016.

Kang

2014 - .356/.459/.739//1.198

Career KBO - .298/.383/.504/.886

2015 - .287/.355/.461/.816 (Pirates)

Kim

2015 - .326/.438/.541/.979

Career KBO - .318/.406/.488/.895

2016 - .???/.???/.???/.???? (Orioles)

Added their career KBO number because just going by their last KBO year it looks like Kang was way better, but their career numbers are very very close.

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pastorfan Major Leaguer

pastorfan

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Oh, Kim is not going to sniff a starting lineup unless he really does something in ST. More than likely, Buck is going to firmly plant this guy on the bench and slowly work him in at DH.

And this is what I've been saying: we need another legitimate outfielder who can start in one of the corners. At BEST, Kim may end up platooning with Reimold, but even that sounds like more than he'll actually play. Reimold and Navarro are the two most qualified individuals to start in the outfield corners at this moment in time and that is BAD, guys. Look for an outfield acquisition soon.

This guy was certainly not brought in to DH. He will win an OF job or he won't. Is it a cheap gamble. But this is why we need a proven guy in one of the corner spots.

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