Threw 156 km/h, 2 consecutive scoreless starts as a starter! 'Gwangju Ilgo's Ohtani' Kim Sung-jun also posted a 0.932 OPS with the bat [Video]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Gwangju Ilgo's Ohtani' Kim Sung-jun (29, ACL Rangers) recorded two consecutive scoreless starts as a starter. He also swung the bat powerfully day after day, raising expectations.

On the 1st (Korea time), Kim Sung-jun made his start as a pitcher in the home game against the ACL Rockies at the Surprise Stadium Complex in Surprise, Texas, USA, during the 2026 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Rookie League regular season. He pitched 2 innings, allowing 1 hit, issuing 1 walk, and recording 3 strikeouts in a scoreless outing.

Kim Sung-jun's team, the ACL Rangers, is the Rookie League team of the Texas Rangers, while the opposing team, the ACL Rockies, is the Rookie League team of the Colorado Rockies. The ACL Rangers lost 7-11 after Enyel Lopez, who pitched next after Kim Sung-jun, gave up 10 earned runs over 2 innings.

According to Kim Sung-jun's representative, he entered the second consecutive start with a pitch count limit of 35. However, with impressive control, he finished 2 innings in just 25 pitches. Excluding one ball called for a pitch clock violation among the 25th pitches, he issued only 6 balls.

With a fastball clocked at a top speed of 98 mph (approximately 157.7 km/h) based on the scoreboard and 97 mph (approximately 156.1 km/h) based on TrackMan, he recorded back-to-back 3-pitch strikeouts against two batters in the first inning and generated four whiffs, showcasing powerful stuff. A week earlier, during his first start against the ACL Rockies, he finished the first inning perfectly with just 8 pitches.

While focusing on building a physique capable of playing a full season, he is also achieving good results as a hitter. Kim Sung-jun is currently batting 0.309 (94 at-bats, 29 hits) with 4 home runs, 24 RBIs, 22 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases in 33 games. He has posted a 0.411 on-base percentage, a 0.521 slugging percentage, and a 0.932 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).

Kim Sung-jun is a right-handed pitcher and right-handed batter who signed a $1.2 million contract (approximately 1.9 billion won) with the Texas Rangers in May last year after graduating from Gwangju Ilgo High School, embarking on a challenge in Major League Baseball. Thanks to his exceptional physical condition and athletic sense, he drew attention from Major League Baseball since his first year of high school. In his second year, he won the Baseball Star Award at the 2024 Futures Star Awards ceremony.

After joining the Texas Rangers, he was rated as the 15th top prospect in the Texas organization according to the official Major League Baseball website, MLB.com. MLB.com stated, "Kim Sung-jun has average-level hitting ability as a hitter with good plate discipline. As a right-handed batter, he is expected to have the power to hit 15 home runs. In defense, he shows stable performance at shortstop based on his strong arm."

It further explained, "As a pitcher, he throws a fastball averaging in the early 90s mph, with a top speed of 95 mph (approximately 152.9 km/h). Among his breaking balls, the slider in the early 80s mph (approximately 128.7 km/h) receives the best evaluation, along with a splitter and curveball. If he continues to grow physically in the future, his stuff is expected to improve even more."

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*This content was translated by AI.