KBO Heroes: Hyun-soo Kim

On Opening Day, which this year took place at 11 PM… in May… in South Korea… we at DNVR were most heavily tuned into the Doosan Bears vs. LG Twins because former Colorado Rockies’ farmhand Roberto Ramos was suited up for the latter.

But, of course, if you are going to earnestly open up to new experiences you have to learn some new things. Ramos had a nice game, tallying a pair of doubles, and the Twins starting pitcher Cha Woo-chan displayed a devastating lefty hook. However, the standout player was slugger Hyun-soo Kim.

Blasting a third-inning offering opposite field for a big two-run homer, Kim showcased some impressive power. A quick glimpse at his resume revealed some more fireworks.

On December 23, 2015, Kim signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

After struggling in spring training, Kim made the team, mostly because he had refused a minor league assignment. As a result, he was booed on Opening Day by his own fans at Camden Yards during his MLB debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 10, 2016.

By the end of his first month in America, he had played in only six games, going 9-for-15 with a .647 on-base percentage. On June 30, Kim hit the Orioles’ 56th home run in the month of June, setting a new Major League record for the month.

The end of his career in MLB is a bit of a head-scratcher, to be sure.

On September 25, he hit an early two-run jack against the Arizona Diamondbacks that turned out to be a game winner. Three days later, Kim hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. That blast turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the Orioles win and he ended his 2016 season with a .302 batting average.

Kim was lost in the shuffle after that and later traded to Philadelphia as part of a package for Jeremy Hellickson. He had the numbers of a guy who could have hung around for some time, but the surrounding narrative is of a guy who was probably better off going back home.

In the winter of 2017, Kim signed a four-year, $10.7 million contract with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization.

He carries a lifetime .322 batting average with 171 home runs and 933 runs driven in during his KBO career.

At 32-years-old, there still appears to be plenty of spark left in that bat.