The Kiwoom Heroes, a major league academy, is close to producing another big league player. The fifth hero is Kim Hye-sung (25). He has not even applied for posting yet, but is already paying attention to his name.

The official Major League website MLB.com highlighted the players who played in the Korean KBO League and the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) who will advance to the MLB in the Stove League.

Kim Hye-sung was the first KBO League player to be mentioned. "Kim Hye-sung, who showed outstanding defense in the KBO League, will apply for posting this offseason," MLB.com said. "Some MLB officials see Kim as a potential second baseman or a top-notch utility player with good contact skills."메이저사이트

"Kim Hye-sung, who is 25 years old this year, is a left-handed hitter with a batting average of 0.304 or higher over the past four seasons. He has recorded 11 home runs this season, the most in his career," the media said, referring to his constant contact ability and advanced home run production ability.

"The Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Angels are likely to seek to strengthen their second base during this offseason," MLB.com said, specifically mentioning Kim's expected destination. If San Francisco recruits Kim, it could meet Lee Jung-hoo in the same team again.

Kim Hye-sung, who graduated from Dongsan High School and joined Nexen (currently Kiwoom) as the seventh-ranked player in the second round of the 2017 rookie draft, jumped to the team's main second baseman in 2018 with a batting average of 0.270 (116 hits in 430 times at bat) and five home runs, 45 RBIs and 31 steals in 136 games.

Kim has shown a gradual growth every season. Kim has played in all games (144 games) during the regular season, achieving a batting average of .304 for the first time since her debut. Kim earned her first career Golden Glove after finishing the 2021 season with a career-high 46 steals.

Kim returned to second base from shortstop in 2022 and won the Golden Glove at second base with a batting average of .318 (164 hits in 516 at-bats), four homers, 48 RBIs and 34 steals in 129 games. He set a new record of winning both the Golden Glove at second and shortstop for the first time in KBO league history.

Kim Hye-sung, who has raised both batting average and home run records with a batting average of 0.335 (186 hits in 556 at-bats) and seven home runs, 57 RBIs and 25 steals in 137 games in 2023, has won the Golden Glove (second baseman category for the second consecutive year) for three consecutive years and has established himself as the best second baseman in the KBO league.

After completing the 2023 season, Kim Hye-sung expressed her desire to enter the U.S. in earnest. Kim Hye-sung, who will be eligible for the posting system when the 2024 season is completed normally, officially announced her intention to enter MLB to the club through a meeting with general manager Ko Hyung-wook on January 16. In response, Kiwoom officially allowed Kim Hye-sung's intention to challenge to the Major League.

Kim Hye-sung played as a member of Team Korea (Korean national team) in an exhibition match against the Los Angeles Dodgers in March and hit Bobby Miller's 97.3 miles per hour (about 156.6 kilometers) to hit a double that flew to the Gocheok Dome fence, and he also showed impressive performance in defense and baserunning. After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "The second baseman stood out among Korean fielders. He hit well and moved well when he defended. Our scouts like him," praising Kim's performance.

Kim Hye-sung, who was recognized by MLB's best player even before the opening of the season, showed great performance this year as well. He recorded his first double-digit home run since his debut, posting a batting average of 0.326 (166 hits in 509 times at bat), 11 homers, 75 RBIs, and 30 steals in 127 games. He also posted his career-best performance in indicators of home run, RBI and slugging percentage (0.458).

On October 31 after the end of the 2024 season, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced, "We received a request from the MLB Secretariat to check the status of Kang Baek-ho and Kim Hye-sung, and notified them that the player was from KT Wiz and Kiwoom Heroes, respectively." The MLB Secretariat's request for an identification check is a process to confirm the official identity of the player before the MLB club recruits overseas league players. Kim Hye-sung, who dreams of entering MLB, must go through the process to apply for posting.

Kim Hye-sung, who signed a formal contract with global sports agency CAA Sports, an agency of "Superstar" Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) in June and is preparing to enter the U.S., was even confirmed to have been on the MLB club's radar when he was asked to check his identity. Kim Hye-sung's dream of becoming a major leaguer is just around the corner, following "Heroes seniors" such as Kang Jung-ho, Park Byung-ho and Kim Ha-sung, who succeeded in advancing to MLB through posting earlier, and Lee Jung-hoo, who set the record for the highest posting of Asian fielders ($113 million for six years) last year.