From current big leaguer to future big leaguer: learn English first

With a former South Korean club teammate of his poised to join him in Major League Baseball (MLB), San Diego Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong offered some practical advice Monday.

Kim held a press conference in Seoul to commemorate his historic Gold Glove win from earlier this month. Kim beat out Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals in the utility spot in the National League to become the first South Korean player to capture a Gold Glove.

Lee was one of four South Korean players to see MLB action this year, along with Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays, Bae Ji-hwan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran infielder Choi Ji-man, who split his season with the Pirates and the Padres.

The quartet could have some company next year, with Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, the 2022 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) MVP, set to be posted for interested MLB clubs this winter. Kim and Lee were teammates on the Heroes from 2017 to 2020, and the two have remained close even after Kim left for the Padres.

“Jung-hoo is such a great player in Korea that he could set a good example for other players if he challenges himself in MLB,” Kim said. “But I understand he doesn’t know much English at this point. I’d like to tell him to start learning the language right away.”

Kim, despite having spent three seasons in the majors, admitted he himself still struggles with the language, because he didn’t prepare himself for a career outside Korea when he was younger.

“We are strangers over there, and we have to reach out to people and make connections,” Kim added.

Kim also touched upon contract negotiations and said Lee shouldn’t get too hung up on inserting a clause that lets him reject an assignment to the minors.

Kim included one in his four-year contract with the Padres that he’d signed at the end of 2020, and the clause took effect in 2023.

“When I negotiated my deal, I really wanted that clause, but looking back on it, it ultimately didn’t mean anything,” Kim said. “I was terrible in my first year and didn’t get sent down. If you make a certain amount of money, it’s hard for teams to send you down. Jung-hoo is going to make a decent amount. He’d be better off getting an opt-out clause in his deal instead.”

With an opt-out clause, a player can become a free agent early before his current deal expires, allowing them to cash in if they perform well in the early years of their contract.

Kim said life abroad hasn’t gotten that much easier even after three seasons in the bigs.

“Time solves a lot of issues. As time has gone by, I’ve gotten to learn a lot more,” Kim said. “My first year was hard because every day was new. Now I have some idea of how days will go, and I can stick to my routines. I’ve become more comfortable in that regard.”

Kim said he has taken the words of Park Chan-ho, the first Korean ever to play in MLB and now an adviser in the Padres’ baseball operations department, to heart.

“Throughout my career, I used to think only about climbing the ladder and moving up. And when I played so poorly in my first MLB season, I was absolutely devastated,” Kim said. “Park then told me, ‘Instead of going up all the time, you should start thinking about being steady.’ He also said it was OK to stop and take a moment when things weren’t going so well. That helped me develop more consistency for the long haul.”

Kim thanked the likes of Park for blazing the trail that he and his contemporaries are following.

“I hope I can also pave the way for younger athletes,” Kim added.