Hyeseong Kim

1. Early Life and Amateur Career

Hyeseong Kim's early life and educational background laid the foundation for his baseball career, which saw significant achievements during his amateur years, earning him early recognition as a standout player.

1.1. Early Life and Education

Kim was born on January 27, 1999, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He received his early education at Munchon Elementary School (where he also participated in the Goyang City Little League), followed by Dongsan Middle School in Incheon, and later Dongsan High School.

1.2. Amateur Career Highlights

During his time at Dongsan High School, Kim garnered considerable attention for his talent. In July 2016, he led his team to victory at the 50th Presidential Cup National High School Baseball Championship, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award. In the latter half of the High School Weekend League (Incheon & Gangwon region), he received both the Batting Award and the RBI Award. He also secured the Stolen Base Award at the Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League King of Kings Tournament. That same year, Kim was honored with the Lee Young-min Batting Award, presented to the top-hitting high school player in South Korea. Furthermore, he received the Baek In-chun BIC 0.412 Award at the Korean Professional Baseball Retired Players' Day. His impressive amateur performance led to his selection in the second round, first pick, of the 2017 KBO League rookie draft by the Nexen Heroes.

2. Professional Career

Hyeseong Kim's professional career began in the KBO League with the Nexen Heroes, evolving into a star infielder before his transition to Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2.1. KBO League (Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes)

Kim signed with the Nexen Heroes of the KBO League and played for them from 2017 through 2024. The club rebranded as the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019. Over 953 games in the KBO League, he posted a batting average of .304, with 37 home runs, 386 runs batted in (RBI), and 211 stolen bases.

2.1.1. Career Progression and Key Seasons

In 2017, as a rookie, Kim was one of only two new players to join the Nexen Heroes' spring training camp, alongside future star Lee Jung-hoo. He made his KBO debut on June 28, 2017, against the NC Dinos, entering the game defensively at third base but not recording an at-bat. His first professional hit, RBI, and run came on September 17, 2017, also against the NC Dinos. On May 3, 2018, he hit his first professional home run off Lee Jae-hak of the NC Dinos. Following an injury to then-teammate Seo Geon-chang, Kim saw increased playing time at second base and established himself as a regular starter. He finished the 2018 season with a .270 batting average, 5 home runs, and 33 stolen bases in 136 games, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Kang Baek-ho.

In 2019, Kim began the season playing both second base and shortstop. He predominantly played second base during Seo Geon-chang's injury and shifted to shortstop upon Seo's return, recording 20 stolen bases. On May 30, 2020, against the KT Wiz at Gocheok Sky Dome, he achieved the 26th cycle hit in KBO League history (by the 24th player). On August 27, 2021, Kim was appointed as the team captain, succeeding Park Byung-ho. He had a breakout year, leading the league with 46 stolen bases with a success rate exceeding 90%. He played in all 144 games, batting .303 with 3 home run. In 2022, he continued his strong performance, batting .318 with 4 home runs, 48 RBI, and 34 stolen bases in 129 games. The 2023 season saw Kim achieve a career-high batting average of .335, ranking third in the league, along with 186 hits (second in the league), 7 home runs, 57 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 137 games.

In his final KBO League season in 2024, Kim played in 127 games, slashing .326/.383/.458 with 30 stolen bases, while setting career-highs in home runs (11) and RBI (75). On December 4, 2024, the Kiwoom Heroes officially posted Kim to Major League Baseball as a free agent. He reportedly received offers from multiple MLB teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, and Chicago Cubs, and chose to sign with the Dodgers despite his agent suggesting the Angels due to potentially more favorable financial terms.

2.1.2. KBO Awards and Titles

Throughout his KBO League career, Hyeseong Kim earned several individual accolades:

Stolen Base King: 1 time (2021)
Golden Glove Award: 4 times (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

2.2. Major League Baseball (Los Angeles Dodgers)

On January 3, 2025, Hyeseong Kim officially signed a three-year, 12.50 M USD guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. The contract also includes two additional option years, which could potentially increase the total value to 22.00 M USD. As part of the agreement, the Dodgers paid an additional posting fee of 2.50 M USD to the Kiwoom Heroes.

3. International Career

Hyeseong Kim has been a prominent member of the South Korea national baseball team, representing his country in various major international competitions.

3.1. National Team Participation

Kim's international career includes participation in several high-profile tournaments:

11th BFA U-18 Asia Championship
2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021): He was selected for the South Korean national team and started in four games as the ninth batter and second baseman.
2022 Asian Games (held in 2023): Kim played in six baseball contests, batting .292/.500/.370 in 18 at-bats, and contributed to South Korea winning a gold medal.
2023 World Baseball Classic: He represented South Korea in this premier international baseball tournament.
2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship

4. Awards and Honors

Hyeseong Kim has accumulated numerous individual awards and distinctions throughout his amateur and professional baseball career.

4.1. Individual Awards and Titles

Lee Young-min Batting Award (2016)
50th Presidential Cup National High School Baseball Championship Distinguished Service Award (2016)
High School Weekend League (Incheon & Gangwon region) Batting Award (2016)
High School Weekend League (Incheon & Gangwon region) RBI Award (2016)
Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League King of Kings Tournament Stolen Base Award (2016)
Baek In-chun BIC 0.412 Award at Korean Professional Baseball Retired Players' Day (2016)
KBO League Stolen Base King (2021)
KBO League Golden Glove Award (4 times: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Year	Team	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	SB	CS	BB	HBP	SO	DP	E
2017	Nexen/Kiwoom	.188	16	16	1	3	2	0	0	5	2	0	0	1	0	6	0	1
2018		.270	136	430	79	116	15	6	5	158	45	31	6	33	5	119	6	16
2019		.276	122	348	57	96	16	7	0	126	32	20	3	29	2	85	4	15
2020		.285	142	499	80	142	24	6	7	199	61	25	8	46	2	94	6	9
2021		.303	144	559	99	170	20	3	3	205	66	46	4	65	1	97	8	35
2022		.318	129	516	81	164	18	7	4	208	48	34	7	47	0	83	9	11
2023		.335	137	556	104	186	29	6	7	248	57	25	3	57	3	77	6	17
2024		.326	127	509	90	166	26	4	11	233	75	30	6	47	4	62	6	16
Total	8 Seasons	.304	953	3433	591	1043	150	39	37	1382	386	211	36	325	17	623	45	120

Bold indicates leading the league in that specific statistical category for the season.

5.2. Major League Baseball Statistics

Year	Team	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	SB	CS	BB	HBP	SO	DP	E
As his Major League Baseball career commenced in 2025, detailed annual statistics are not yet available for previous seasons.

6. Personal Life

Hyeseong Kim was born on January 27, 1999, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Publicly available information regarding his personal life is limited.