The Texas Rangers have signed 17-year-old South Korean standout Seong-Jun Kim to a $1.2 million deal, betting big on the future of two-way talent in the MLB.
The Rangers announced the signing over the weekend, finalizing a deal that makes Kim one of the most highly touted international prospects in recent memory.
Kim plays both shortstop and pitcher and will join the organization with the goal of developing as a two-way player, a feat that is becoming increasingly common among younger baseball players.
Rangers senior director of international scouting and development Hamilton Wise said the team is “so excited” about the signing, calling Kim a “world-class talent and also a world-class person.”
“We’ve been so impressed with him defensively at shortstop and in the batter’s box, but also on the pitcher’s mound. We have full intent as an organization to develop him as a two-way player,” he said, per MLB.com.
“We believe he has the qualities and ingredients for that challenge. But more than anything, we’re so excited that this is a player and a person who represents our organizational values as the Texas Rangers. He’s a world-class competitor. He has the character and mental makeup to impact the game in this organization positively for many years to come.”
Kim rose to prominence in Korea’s youth baseball circuits, batting .333 with a 1.015 OPS while also boasting a 95-mph fastball on the mound.
These performances led Kim to be voted as the 2024 Amateur High School Player of the Year as an underclassman.
Although Kim has been one of the best players in Korean high school leagues, he and the Rangers have acknowledged that the path to success in the MLB will be difficult.
“It’s gonna be hard, not easy,” Kim said, according to MLB.com.
“But I will do my best. I’m not going to regret anything at all. I will do my best. … If I can improve better and earlier, I can be the best player in the big leagues. That’s why I decided to sign with the Texas Rangers.”
A successful transition for Kim at both positions in the MLB could be game-changing for a Rangers team looking to eventually return to the World Series, and Wise believes Kim has many of the tools to make it work.
“We have a ton of background on who he is as a person. He is a really impressive young man. So we’re very excited about that piece. It’s a big challenge, but if he conquers the transition, we have no doubt the talent will play out,” he explained to MLB.com.