Kwang Hyun Kim Stats & Scouting Report

IP	145
ERA	2.979
WHIP	1.221
BB/9	3.166
SO/9	6.455

Full name Kwang Hyun Kim
Born 07/22/1988 in Seoul, South Korea
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: L
Debut 07/24/2020

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Fastball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 60. Curveball: 45. Control: 60.

TRACK RECORD: Kim was one of the stars of South Korea’s gold medal-winning 2008 Olympic team and was the ace of the SK Wyverns in Korea’s major league. The Cardinals signed him to a two-year, $8 million deal before the 2020 season. Kim began the year as the Cardinals’ closer but moved to the rotation after the team’s coronavirus outbreak and allowed one run or fewer in six of his seven starts.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kim locates on the edges of the strike zone and has a unique movement profile that helps his pitches play up. His 87-93 mph fastball has less vertical movement than most heaters, but he locates it to both sides of the plate and keeps hitters off of it with his assortment of secondary pitches. His low-80s changeup plays as a plus pitch because of his well above-average command, and his 85-87 mph slider has a short break that catches hitters off guard. Kim’s fringe-average curveball is big, slow breaker that locks up hitters while meandering to the plate at 67-72 mph. Kim mostly relies on soft contact for success and induces a high volume of ground balls, helping him to work quickly and avoid damage.

THE FUTURE: Kim can’t blow away hitters, but he can keep them from squaring him up. He has earned a spot in the Cardinals’ 2021 rotation.
TRACK RECORD: Scouts first got to see Kim on a major international stage when he beat Japan in the 2008 Olympic semifinals, setting up South Korea's gold medal win over Cuba in the championship game. That gold medal helped him and Hyun-Jin Ryu be exempted from the mandatory two years of military service that all South Korean males normally have to serve. He also pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Kim lost the 2017 season to Tommy John surgery but was still one of the most reliable starters in the Korean Baseball Organization over the past decade.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kim throws a high-spin 89-94 mph fastball that grades as average. He elevates a four-seamer but relies more on his 90-92 mph two-seamer which he can locate to both his arm and glove side. He also throws an average low-80s slider, an average high-70s curveball, an average changeup and an occasional cutter. He has steadily improved his control and command as he has matured, and he is pitching some of his best baseball in his early 30s.

THE FUTURE: While Kim worked as a starter in Korea, he may be a better fit as a high-leverage reliever in the U.S. A team wanting to start him would get to take advantage of his ability to mix and match five fringe-average to average pitches.

Scouting Reports

Fastball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 60. Curveball: 45. Control: 60.

TRACK RECORD: Kim was one of the stars of South Korea’s gold medal-winning 2008 Olympic team and was the ace of the SK Wyverns in Korea’s major league. The Cardinals signed him to a two-year, $8 million deal before the 2020 season. Kim began the year as the Cardinals’ closer but moved to the rotation after the team’s coronavirus outbreak and allowed one run or fewer in six of his seven starts.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kim locates on the edges of the strike zone and has a unique movement profile that helps his pitches play up. His 87-93 mph fastball has less vertical movement than most heaters, but he locates it to both sides of the plate and keeps hitters off of it with his assortment of secondary pitches. His low-80s changeup plays as a plus pitch because of his well above-average command, and his 85-87 mph slider has a short break that catches hitters off guard. Kim’s fringe-average curveball is big, slow breaker that locks up hitters while meandering to the plate at 67-72 mph. Kim mostly relies on soft contact for success and induces a high volume of ground balls, helping him to work quickly and avoid damage.

THE FUTURE: Kim can’t blow away hitters, but he can keep them from squaring him up. He has earned a spot in the Cardinals’ 2021 rotation.
Fastball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 60. Curveball: 45. Control: 60.

TRACK RECORD: Kim was one of the stars of South Korea’s gold medal-winning 2008 Olympic team and was the ace of the SK Wyverns in Korea’s major league. The Cardinals signed him to a two-year, $8 million deal before the 2020 season. Kim began the year as the Cardinals’ closer but moved to the rotation after the team’s coronavirus outbreak and allowed one run or fewer in six of his seven starts.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kim locates on the edges of the strike zone and has a unique movement profile that helps his pitches play up. His 87-93 mph fastball has less vertical movement than most heaters, but he locates it to both sides of the plate and keeps hitters off of it with his assortment of secondary pitches. His low-80s changeup plays as a plus pitch because of his well above-average command, and his 85-87 mph slider has a short break that catches hitters off guard. Kim’s fringe-average curveball is big, slow breaker that locks up hitters while meandering to the plate at 67-72 mph. Kim mostly relies on soft contact for success and induces a high volume of ground balls, helping him to work quickly and avoid damage.

THE FUTURE: Kim can’t blow away hitters, but he can keep them from squaring him up. He has earned a spot in the Cardinals’ 2021 rotation.
TRACK RECORD: Scouts first got to see Kim on a major international stage when he beat Japan in the 2008 Olympic semifinals, setting up South Korea’s gold medal win over Cuba in the championship game. That gold medal helped him and Hyun-Jin Ryu be exempted from the mandatory two years of military service that all South Korean males normally have to serve. He also pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Kim, who lost the 2017 season to Tommy John surgery, has been one of the most reliable starters in the Korean Baseball Organization over the past decade.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kim throws a high-spin 89-94 mph fastball that grades as average. He elevates a four-seamer but relies more on his 90-92 mph two-seamer which he can locate to both his arm and glove side. He also throws an average low-80s slider, an average high-70s curveball, an average changeup and an occasional cutter. He has steadily improved his control and command as he has matured, and he is pitching some of his best baseball in his early 30s.

THE FUTURE: While Kim worked as a starter in Korea, he may be a better fit as a high-leverage reliever in the U.S. However, a team wanting to start him would get to take advantage of his ability to mix and match five fringe-average to average pitches.
TRACK RECORD: Scouts first got to see Kim on a major international stage when he beat Japan in the 2008 Olympic semifinals, setting up South Korea's gold medal win over Cuba in the championship game. That gold medal helped him and Hyun-Jin Ryu be exempted from the mandatory two years of military service that all South Korean males normally have to serve. He also pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Kim lost the 2017 season to Tommy John surgery but was still one of the most reliable starters in the Korean Baseball Organization over the past decade.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kim throws a high-spin 89-94 mph fastball that grades as average. He elevates a four-seamer but relies more on his 90-92 mph two-seamer which he can locate to both his arm and glove side. He also throws an average low-80s slider, an average high-70s curveball, an average changeup and an occasional cutter. He has steadily improved his control and command as he has matured, and he is pitching some of his best baseball in his early 30s.

THE FUTURE: While Kim worked as a starter in Korea, he may be a better fit as a high-leverage reliever in the U.S. A team wanting to start him would get to take advantage of his ability to mix and match five fringe-average to average pitches.