Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| St. Louis Cardinal left Kim Kwang-hyun speaks to reporters after the team's exhibition game against New York Mets at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Fla., Feb. 22. / Yonhap |
By Jhoo Dong-chan
It seems clear that St. Louis Cardinals' lefty Kim Kwang-hyun impressed his team and coaching staff with consecutive scoreless appearances in exhibition games amid mounting expectations he may be able to win a spot in the team's rotation in his rookie season.
Kim had a scoreless inning as a relief against the New York Mets, Saturday, and then shut down the Miami Marlins for two innings as a starter, striking out three Wednesday.
"I thought the balls came out really clean. He showed an excellent slider. He did great," said St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt.
"I am not going to say whether he can be (a starter), but he is off to a good start."
The St. Louis Cardinals said Kim would get an opportunity to win a starting spot, and experts said Kim is likely to vie for what appears to be the fifth and last spot in the rotation as the three of last year's pitchers ― Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas and Dakota Hudson ― are expected to keep their positions this season.
Experts believe the team's franchise Adam Wainwright, who made a successful comeback last season with 14 wins, following a two-year slump, will take the fourth position, leaving Kim to vie for fifth with contenders such as Carlos Martinez, Alex Reyes and Daniel Poncedeleon.
"I think he has pitches and he has talent. We'll see how that translates in the major league," said MLB.com's Cardinals writer Anne Rogers.
"I think he'll definitely be able to how the Cardinals that he can be a force in the rotation."
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold, who has long been covering the Cardinals, has shown reservations about Kim's possible entry into the rotation, claiming Kim is a basically a two-pitch pitcher so is likely to experience difficulties if he pitches more than three or four innings.
"(Kim) will be part of the deepest and possibly best pitching (in the NL west) whether he starts or pitches out of the bullpen," Goold said.
Viva El Birdos, the Cardinals' community, also displayed high expectations for Kim's smooth entry to the big league.
"I see no reason not to believe he can transition, quite successfully, into a major league rotation," community fan A.E. Schafer said.
"Wainwright was good in 2019, but I have serious doubts he can carry an over 170-inning season to completion."
Kim signed a two-year $8 million deal with the Cardinals in December after 12 successful seasons with the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization.
