*This content was translated by AI.
Kim Hye-sung (27, LA Dodgers), who became a major leaguer, voluntarily volunteered to train more than anyone else and is sweating a lot. He is determined not to fall behind not only in his performance at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March but also in the competition within the Dodgers, which will become fiercer.
Ken Rosenthal, a reporter for the U.S. media The Athletic, said on the 17th (Korea time), "The Dodgers, who surprisingly recruited Tucker, are expected to stay Teoscar Hernandez, who was also the subject of trade discussions, and change his position to left field," adding, "However, it is more likely to consider Ryan Ward, who has lived in the minor leagues, and Bobby Miller, a pitcher who is in a slump."
The Dodgers recruited Kyle Tucker on the 16th and invested a total of $240 million (about 354.1 billion won) for four years. The Dodgers, which have already won two consecutive World Series titles, are ready to become a more powerful team.
It is good to hear that Kim Hye-sung's name is missing from the trade candidate right now. Kim Hye-sung has been mentioned as one of the Dodgers' potential trade sales since the end of last year. It was expected that Kim Hye-sung could be used as a trade card to recruit the players he wanted, but Kim Hye-sung's name was omitted from Rosenthal's prediction.
Of course, it seems that there will be an impact on the location. Kim Hye-sung's main position is infield, but in his Dodgers debut season, Kim Hye-sung played 17 games and 85 ⅓ innings as a center fielder. He spent the most time (278 innings) as a second baseman, but played more in center field than in shortstop (46 innings).
Tucker has played only as a designated hitter or right fielder for the past five seasons. It is expected to be similar in the Dodgers. However, if Tucker secures a spot in the outfield, the role of utility players who can play in the outfield will be limited, and Kim Hye-sung is likely to naturally reduce his chances of playing.
Right now, the U.S. baseball statistics site FanGraph.COM put Kim Hye-sung's name on the starting lineup for this season's opening game, but his name could not be found in the best lineup released by MLB.COM, the official website of MLB, immediately after Tucker was recruited.
Kim Hye-sung, who went through his big league debut season last year, showed a good performance with a batting average of 0.280 (45 hits in 161 at-bats), three home runs, 17 RBIs, 19 runs and 13 steals, a 0.314 on-base percentage, a 0.385 on-base plus slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.699 despite playing 71 games and 170 at-bats in very limited opportunities against left-handed pitchers.
Kim Hye-sung is currently in the first camp of the national baseball team in Saipan. For Kim Hye-sung, the Dodgers, where superstars gather, is still a strange team. Kim Hye-sung, who met with reporters at the Saipan site, said, "First of all, it's good. "There are so many things to see and learn," he said, "I don't just think it's good, but it's very good because it keeps stimulating me how to survive and how to develop."
What would it have been like to be in a team where competition was more relaxed and could get more opportunities. However, Kim Hye-sung shook his head. "I've never thought of that. Even if I go to another team, there is no guarantee that I will be the main player, and I decided to try to compete in the best team I like and overcome it. I never thought what would have happened if I had gone to another team," he said.
At the national team's training ground, he also receives one more pungo than others, and he is spending a lot of time in his own style so that he does not lack the amount of training in weight training. Kim Joo-won (NC) and other juniors are also naturally leading to a virtuous cycle in which they sweat more than usual while watching Kim Hye-sung.
Kim Hye-sung said, "My personality is always like that. In the U.S., I always find what I need and do it. "I've been practicing individually the same while thinking about what I need," he said, adding, "Even now, the body fat rate is about 9%. I'm worried because I have to run, so I'm trying to maintain it," he said.
This is because he is determined to become a better player. "I think I do it every year, but I think I need to develop baseball or anything more than I did last year," he said. "I think it's because I worked hard to get better than I did last year."
In a situation where it is difficult to say that it has established a solid position so far, a more solid appeal is needed. In this regard, the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held in March, is expected to be a more important stage for Kim Hye-sung.
In particular, Kim Hye-sung was able to play only 21 at-bats despite showing off a batting average of 0.381 against left-handed pitchers last year. If the WBC shows that it has no weakness against top pitchers, it will certainly appeal to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
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*This content was translated by AI.
