Kim Hye-sung (26, LA Dodgers), who has now become another "Korean Major Leaguer," directly revealed why he chose the LA Dodgers.먹튀검증

Kiwoom Heroes released an interview with Kim Hye-sung on the team's official SNS (social network service) on the 7th.

Kim Hye-sung played as a second baseman representing the KBO league. He played in 953 games for eight KBO seasons, posting a batting average of 0.304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 times at bat), 37 homers, 150 doubles, 39 triples, 386 RBIs and 591 runs, and 211 steals (failed 37) with a batting average of 0.403 on-base percentage of 0.364 on-base hits.

In the 2024 season, he played in 127 games with 0.326, 11 homers, 75 RBIs, and 0.841 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). He succeeded in batting average of 300 for four consecutive seasons. He won the Golden Glove for shortstop in 2021, the Golden Glove for second baseman in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and held the Golden Glove for the fourth consecutive year. Kim Hye-sung is the only player in the history of the KBO league to have won the Golden Glove in both shortstop and second baseman categories. He also received the honor for the second consecutive year in the KBO's defense award, which was established in 2023.

Kim received offers from multiple major league teams after the 2024 season. According to CAA Sports, a U.S. agency, Kim has received offers from six other clubs, including the Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels, the Seattle Mariners, the San Diego Padres, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds. U.S. media outlet Dodgers Nation said, "The Los Angeles Angels offered Kim 28 million U.S. dollars for five years, but it was rejected."

In the end, Kim finally chose the Dodgers. He signed a three-year, two-year contract worth up to 22 million U.S. dollars. The guaranteed amount is 12.5 million dollars for three years. If the club exercises the option, the contract period will be extended by two more years. However, he reportedly has no right to reject the Minor League. He chose the Dodgers even though the total amount was lower than that of the Los Angeles Angels. At the time, he agreed with the Dodgers about three hours before the deadline and successfully signed the contract.

Kim Hye-sung said in an interview, "I couldn't sleep until 4 a.m. to sign a contract. After the decision was made, I went to bed at 5:30 a.m. I think I barely slept. I woke up after sleeping for about 2 hours. I was half asleep, but I woke up completely."

There was a reason why Kim suddenly woke up. It was because of the huge amount of congratulatory messages. "It's a shame that I couldn't reply one by one because I didn't do SNS. I think it was the day I got the most calls in my life," Kim said. "I felt grateful once again that the fans congratulated me like it was their job. I felt that I should do my best even when I went there."

Kim also went to the U.S. in December last year to train with Shohei Ohtani (31), a star player of the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I worked out at an athletic facility provided by the agency. Ohtani was there. Back then, I had not applied for posting. I met him for the first time and he said, "I will post it in two days." Then, he thanked him for telling me." After the news broke that she signed a contract with the Dodgers, Ohtani wrote "Welcome, my friend" in Korean with a photo of Kim on her SNS.

When asked why she chose the Dodgers, Kim replied, "There were many reasons, but the biggest reason was the Dodgers." "I watched a lot of baseball games on TV, from Park Chan-ho to Ryu Hyun-jin. They were familiar with the team. They also won last year's championship. I think that's why I was more interested in the Dodgers." Many Korean players have played for the Dodgers. Korean Major Leaguers Park Chan-ho, Choi Hee-sup and Seo Jae-ung joined the Dodgers, and Ryu Hyun-jin's first big league team was also the Dodgers.

Finally, Kim Hye-sung said to Kiwoom fans, "I think I did my best while playing for Kiwoom from 2017 to 2024. In the process, I was able to work hard consistently because I had fans," adding, "I will keep the fans' support in my heart and work hard in the United States. I look forward to your continued cooperation."

Meanwhile, Kim Hye-sung, who is still staying in Korea, will soon leave for the United States and begin to build her body in earnest.