'Already 156 km/h bang!' Texas Kim Sung-jun to play both shortstop and pitcher this year! Debuting in the rookie league on the 5th

*This content was translated by AI.

Texas Rangers Kim Sung-jun (19) is officially launching into the minor league season as a two-way player. His positions are pitcher and shortstop.

Kim Sung-jun's representative told StarNews on the 3rd, "Kim Sung-jun will begin his season with the ACL Rangers in the rookie league. He will play shortstop while also pitching."

Kim Sung-jun, a graduate of Gwangju Ilgo High School, signed a $1.2 million (approximately 1.8 billion won) contract with Texas in May last year and is a promising right-handed pitcher and right-handed batter who set his sights on the major leagues. He has been highly praised for his outstanding athletic ability and flexibility since his first year of high school, drawing attention from major league teams. He demonstrated consistent skills through his third year and won the Baseball Star Award at the 2024 Futures Star Awards ceremony held in November last year.

Among them, Texas was the team that showed interest early on, even sending senior executives directly to Gwangju during his second year. At the time of his signing, Texas prepared a two-way training program customized for Kim Sung-jun, modeled after the one Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers) received from Nippon Ham in Japan, which ultimately led to the final contract.

That effort is ongoing. In Texas's organization, only Kim Sung-jun and Josh Owens (19) are selected for the two-way training program. Owens is also ranked as the sixth-best right-handed batter/left-handed pitcher prospect in the Texas team according to MLB.com's evaluation criteria, and he will start this season with the ACL Rangers alongside Kim Sung-jun, who is ranked 15th.

So far, Kim Sung-jun's adaptation process in the United States has been smooth. Kim Sung-jun, who played in the Dominican Rookie Summer League last year, participated in the MLB Spring Breakout in March, an event open only to top minor league prospects. According to Kim Sung-jun's representative, he threw a fastball clocked at a maximum of 97 mph (approximately 156.1 km/h) and hit a home run there, earning praise from Texas Rangers executives.

It is also reported that there were numerous requests for autographs from local fans during the Spring Breakout. Nick Yansen, manager of the Hickory Crawdads, Texas's Low-A team who directly coached the game, highly praised the performance, saying, "We believe we are betting on special players. Both Kim Sung-jun and Owens possess exceptional talent in both pitching and hitting. We saw a really good game."

External evaluations are also significant. MLB.com ranked Kim Sung-jun 15th among Texas prospects, stating, "Kim Sung-jun has average hitting ability as a batter with good plate discipline. As a right-handed hitter, there is expectation for power to hit 15 home runs. If he continues to grow and builds strength, his offensive potential can be further elevated. Defensively, he shows a stable presence at shortstop based on his strong arm."

The report continued, "As a pitcher, he throws a fastball averaging in the early 90s mph, with a maximum of 95 mph (approximately 152.9 km/h). Among his breaking balls, a slider in the early 80s mph (approximately 128.7 km/h) receives the best evaluation, along with a splitter and curveball. As he physically matures further, his pitching arsenal is expected to improve. His exceptional athletic ability will help him consistently throw strikes."

Kim Sung-jun will focus on physical development and league adaptation in the rookie league starting on May 5, Korean time. Since his physical growth is not yet complete, Texas is providing comprehensive support for his adaptation. Kim Sung-jun's representative explained, "Thanks to having an English teacher and an interpreter assigned every day, his English skills are improving rapidly. Also, Texas will not overwork him for the next two years, focusing instead on his growth. The training schedule is strictly followed: one day for pitching training, two days for hitting training, and three days off, which the player is satisfied with."

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*This content was translated by AI.