South Korean 2-way player debuts with 4 K's in Single-A Hickory
There might be a new two-way star from Asia on the way. South Korean native Seong-Jun Kim (Rangers No. 8) tossed a pair of scoreless frames with four strikeouts in his Single-A Hickory debut Wednesday night.
Signed out of the international draft in 2025 for $1.2 million, Texas is letting Kim develop both ways. The 19-year-old hit .303 with a .964 OPS in 48 games in the Arizona Complex League before a recent promotion to the Crawdads.
In the ACL, he also twirled a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings while striking out 10 batters. Kim debuted for Hickory on Wednesday and faced off against the Orioles' top two picks from the 2026 draft and Single-A Delmarva. He struck out top pick Eric Booth Jr. and, to start the game, took down second-round pick Ty Head on five pitches.
Kim allowed a single to Jaiden Lo Re but ended the threat by inducing a ground ball. In his second frame, Kim retired the side in order with two strikeouts. Per Baseball Savant, Kim displays a low-90s fastball that reaches 95 mph. He has a low-80s slider ranking ahead of his mid-80s splitter and mid-70s curveball.