Soon to be made available for Major League Baseball clubs, South Korean left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun said he’s confident he will make a successful transition to the bigger stage.
The SK Wyverns, Kim’s current Korea Baseball Organization club, announced Wednesday they will post Kim for an MLB-wide auction early next month. Interested teams will submit their bids for the right to talk to the 26-year-old pitcher, and the Wyverns will later determine whether they want to accept the highest bid for their MVP-winning pitcher.
Though nothing has been decided about his destination ― the Wyverns might pull Kim off the market if the amount of the bid is deemed insufficient ― Kim has already started looking ahead.
Saying it had been his lifelong dream to one day reach the big leagues, Kim said he will pitch his heart out no matter which team he plays for.
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| Kim Kwang-hyun. (Yonhap) |
“It doesn’t matter what my role will be,” the starting pitcher said at a press conference in Seoul. “Whatever the team feels is the right job for me, I think I will be able to do it. I am always ready.”
The 2008 KBO MVP said he is also anxious to face MLB hitters.
“I want to see if I can fool them with breaking pitches out of the zone, or if I can overpower them with my fastballs,” Kim said with a smile. “I don‘t think I should have trouble throwing fastballs and sliders in the majors. I will need to work on other pitches and will try to get help from coaches and teammates.”
Kim also said he prefers the National League to the American League because he enjoys hitting and because not having to face a designated hitter should also help him on the mound. “I just enjoy playing baseball,” Kim added. “I know there is a risk of injuries, but I love to hit and run.”
The Wyverns said they would notify the MLB, through the KBO, of their intention to post Kim. The pitcher said the bid amount that big league clubs will put up is the least of his concerns.
“I’ve lost some sleep thinking about how I am going to make adjustments off the field,” he confessed. “Everything will be different, from food to language. I will be around some famous players that I know, but they don’t know me. I am going to have to get along with them, too.”
Kim has also enjoyed success internationally, helping South Korea win the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and take second place at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He said he will be wearing “our national flag in (my) heart” every time he takes the mound.
“I think I will be feeling some pressure, trying to do my country proud,” Kim added. “But it will be my destiny. I just hate losing and I am going to give everything I have.”
Kim said he grew up idolizing Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean to reach the majors, who made his big league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994. Also, as a fellow left-hander, Kim said he closely followed the career of Randy Johnson, a dominant southpaw who captured five Cy Young Awards and won 303 games in his 22-year career.
Another player he is trying to emulate is Ryu Hyun-jin, a South Korean left-hander for the Dodgers. Ryu and Kim were the KBO’s two best starting pitchers a few years back, and Ryu beat Kim to the big leagues via posting in 2012, when he became the first South Korean to make the jump from the KBO to the big leagues.
Ryu has won 28 games in his first two seasons with the Dodgers, establishing himself as the No. 3 starter on a rotation led by two Cy Young Award winners, Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke.
Kim said he is “proud” of the way his former KBO rival has paved the way for others to follow.
“I could see that Ryu has grown even further in the majors, and I know I have to do the same,” Kim added. “He’s done so well over the past two seasons and I am going to try to match his success. I should have no trouble adjusting to a more demanding schedule in the majors.”
Kim said he has hired Melvin Roman, president and CEO of Puerto Rico-based MDR Sports Management, as his agent. Roman also represents Yadier Molina, a five-time All-Star catcher with six Gold Gloves, for the St. Louis Cardinals. (Yonhap)
