Sun-Woo Kim

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #22 prospect in 2002
  Kim may have suffered from being placed on the fast track after signing out of Korea for $1 million in 1998. He went straight to high Class A at age 20 and kept getting promoted each year despite never posting an ERA below 4.82. Triple-A hitters have batted .295 against him over the last two seasons, while major league hitters have tagged him for a .312 average. Once projected as a possible frontline starter, Kim now figures to be more of a middle reliever. He'll reach 94-95 mph at times and his fastball has nice boring, riding action, but he uses it too high in the strike zone. His slider can be a plus pitch when he maintains his release point, but he gets under the pitch and flattens it out too much. He doesn't have command of his changeup and relies almost solely on hard stuff. Kim has yet to figure out how to get the ball inside on lefthanders. He likely will make a third trip to Pawtucket this year.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #4 prospect in 2001
  Kim pitched Korea to the 1994 World Junior Championship title and in 1996 became his nation's youngest baseball Olympian ever. He signed with the Red Sox for $1 million a year later. Kim won the Futures Game and was part of an Arizona Fall League championship club in 1999, but his 2000 season at Pawtucket was most notable for a fight with Japan's Tomokazu Ohka over who was the better prospect. Kim has the highest ceiling of any of the Asian pitchers in the upper levels of Boston's system. He has excellent movement on his fastball, which touches 95 mph, and has no problem throwing it for strikes. Kim also has the potential to have an above-average breaking pitch and possibly a plus changeup. He pitches to both sides of the plate. Kim needs to further develop his offspeed stuff and refine his location within the strike zone. He throws too many strikes and is vulnerable when he doesn't get his pitches down. His release point tends to wander, though that may be by design. Kim needs to have success in Triple-A before he's ready for Boston. He has better stuff than Ohka but lacks his feel for pitching.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #16 prospect in 2000
  Kim got into a fight this season with his teammate Ohka over who was the better prospect. Ohka has a small edge now, though Kim is coming along nicely. And Kim, a veteran of the 1996 Korean Olympic team, probably has a higher ceiling than Ohka. "He has a real nice breaking pitch," Evers said. "He and Ohka have two of the best in the league." Kim throws a little harder than Ohka, reaching the mid-90s at times, though his breaking stuff isn’t as good. Kim also needs to improve his sinker and changeup.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #94 prospect in 2000

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  Kim got into a fight this season with his teammate Ohka over who was the better prospect. Ohka has a small edge now, though Kim is coming along nicely. And Kim, a veteran of the 1996 Korean Olympic team, probably has a higher ceiling than Ohka. "He has a real nice breaking pitch," Evers said. "He and Ohka have two of the best in the league." Kim throws a little harder than Ohka, reaching the mid-90s at times, though his breaking stuff isn’t as good. Kim also needs to improve his sinker and changeup.