Jae-hwan Kim is the thrift store Yoshitomo Tsutsugo
By David Hill
A second option has come available for teams that miss out on Yoshitomo Tsutsugo.
Out of all of the foreign prospects being posted or having come available in international free agency, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo may be drawing the most attention. While there are questions involving his overall hit tool and his home defensively, Tsutsugo also possesses impressive power potential. That pop has made him one of the more intriguing players available, despite the inherent risks.
However, there is another, similar option that may be less expensive. The Doosan Bears in the Korean Baseball Organization posted slugger Jae-hwan Kim, giving teams 30 days to come to an agreement on a contract.
From 2016 through 2018, Kim was arguably the premier slugger in the KBO. He belted 116 homers, including a career best 44 home runs in 2018. That season, he posted a .334/.405/.657 batting line, hitting 36 doubles along with those 44 homers en route to earning the league MVP award.
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However, that production disappeared in 2019. While offense as a whole was down in the KBO, Kim was hammered by regression. He posted a .283/.362/.434 batting line in his 574 plate appearances, hitting just 15 homers. Even with the decrease in offense due to a larger, heavier ball, that decrease in pop is concerning.
His profile is equally concerning to any interested teams. His power is considered his only plus tool, and even that may be questionable. Kim has difficulties catching up with a good fastball in the KBO, and may have the bat blown out of his hands in the majors. He is also considered a defensive liability, and may have to move to first.
That profile sounds rather familiar. In fact, it sounds like Tsutsugo, with his own questionable ability to handle major league pitching and defensive issues. The difference is that, even with his own questionable hit tool, Tsutsugo is still a 70 on the traditional scouting scale when it comes to power. Kim, meanwhile, is a cut-rate version of Tsutsugo – similar, but just not quite as good.
Next. Nishikawa wants to be posted next offseason. dark
Jae-Hwan Kim has been posted, and is considered a cheaper alternative to Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. The problem is, he is not nearly the same player that Tsutsugo is.