After signing a two-year, $7M deal during the off-season, the 28 year old’s time with the Baltimore Orioles appears to be over. Kim’s struggles were widely known, and also apparent during exhibition games in Florida, as he hit .182/.229/.182 with zero extra base hits in 44 plate appearances. Spring Training stats typically mean very little, but my sources indicated that Kim appeared lost at the plate, missing badly on pitches.
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So how can Kim refuse assignment to the minor leagues? His contract. Kim’s deal prevented the Orioles from sending him to the minor leagues (without his consent). As of Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the media was reporting that Kim was “not happy” about the demotion, but was considering it. Additionally, Kim hasn’t played in an exhibition game in over a week, likely adding to the frustration he has with Baltimore. On Thursday evening, Jehoo Yoo of Yonhap News Agency tweeted the following:
Kim Hyun-soo of #Orioles has refused an assignment to the minors, his Seoul-based agency said Friday morning in Korea (Thursday evening EST)
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) March 31, 2016
Before getting angry/upset or any other feeling, I think it’s important to realize that Kim is a 28-year-old veteran that has played professional baseball in the KBO since he was 18 years old. Imagine playing at the elite level in your country and then coming to North America and being told you’re not good enough – it certainly isn’t an easy thing to swallow. Additionally, this was a risk that Baltimore took – by including the language in the contract, it was a choice they made, regardless if they believed it would happen before the season started or later in the year. Additionally, it also points to a flaw in the scouting that is/was being done in South Korea by the Orioles. Another aspect that is likely overlooked – the cultural transition that Kim faced, which Jon Meoli did an excellent job discussing in his article for the Baltimore Sun.
While the Orioles ultimately were not happy with Kim’s performance, they are really left with two (maybe three) options:
- Put Kim on the 25 man, Opening Day roster. Hope he gets better.
- Release him and take the $7M hit. (unless another KBO team want to take on partial money)
- Try and trade Kim. (highly unlikely someone would take)
Even if Kim decided to accept an assignment to Norfolk (AAA), things would get crowded. In Norfolk, you have Henry Urrutia, Dariel Alvarez, Xavier Avery and L.J. Hoes (just to name a few) – additionally, you also have the possibility of Christian Walker continuing to develop in left field (assuming Trey Mancini will be the everyday first baseman). Perhaps Bowie (AA) could be a possible landing place, as Double-A is often a good indication of talent, as most of Triple-A lacks prospects and is typically filled with veterans. Bowie also allows the team and coaching staff from Baltimore to be closer in location to Kim.
The Orioles had a lot of moving roster parts in left field and right field in 2015, as they had 11 different players appear in LF, and 12 different players appear in RF. However, with the addition of Mark Trumbo during the off-season, and Chris Davis‘ ability to play a few games in RF, it would appear that RF is closed and that really leaves LF open. Or does it? Nolan Reimold is back and Joey Rickard has made a big splash in Spring Training (the Rule 5 pick from the Tampa Bay Rays) – ultimately forcing the hand of General Manager Dan Duquette to include Rickard on the 25 man roster.
Ultimately, Baltimore and Kim were not a fit. It’s hard to fault Kim for not agreeing to a minor league assignment, as he has a goal of playing at the major-league level. However, it’s easy to understand why the Orioles want to send Kim down, as the the big-league team can’t work in at-bats for him once the season starts.
Reggie Yinger has spent the parts of five seasons as a Player Development Coordinator for the Baltimore Orioles. He has extensive experience in computer programming and baseball.