Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers fields a groundball during spring training at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, Monday. Yonhap

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is so high on fielding abilities of his new Korean player, Kim Hye-seong, that he thinks Kim "can certainly win ballgames with his defense alone."

Roberts also believes Kim has already made strides on the offensive end as he seeks to overhaul his swing to better handle major league pitching.

Kim signed with the Dodgers in January after eight years with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The 2024 World Series champions will pay Kim $12.5 million over three years, and the contract has an option for two more years that could increase the deal's total value to $22 million.

Over recent seasons, Kim developed into one of the KBO's premier defenders at second base — he won each of the first two editions of the KBO Fielding Award in 2023 and 2024 — while batting at least .300 in each of the past four seasons. His 211 steals from 2018 to 2024 are the most in the KBO in that span.

Roberts said Kim knows "what it means to be an elite player" and he was looking forward to seeing how the South Korean will find his footing in Major League Baseball.

"There's a lot to like," Roberts told reporters Monday at the Dodgers' spring training site, Camelback Ranch, in Glendale, Arizona. "He's one of the guys that I'm really curious (about) his progression through this camp."

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks with reporters during spring training at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, Monday. Yonhap

Roberts praised Kim's ability to "learn quickly and adjust," as his hitting coaches try to help Kim with the swing change.

"We have already buy-in from him with the coaches, with his teammates. He's already made strides for me," the manager said. "I think offensively, there's certainly more velocity, getting his path right, being able to handle balls that move late, handle velocity, use the whole field. He's going to put the ball in play, and he can run. I just think he just needs repetition, so we're going to try to get him out there as much as we can to calibrate on big league stuff."

When it comes to defense, with Kim having also played shortstop, third base and corner outfield positions in the KBO, Roberts said the transition "will be very seamless."

"I think that he can certainly win ballgames with his defense alone," Roberts added. "Then, the question is the development part: what's good for him, what's good for the Dodgers. That, we don't have to answer right now. We'll know as we run him out there and how he performs. But I do believe that the more repetitions he gets, the better he'll be. But we just don't know that timeline yet."

Roberts also noted that Kim has blended in with his new teammates, thanks to a combination of Kim's work ethic and efforts by veteran teammates, including former MVP Mookie Betts, to share some lighthearted moments with him during drills.

"He has the blend that I like in players," Roberts said of Kim. "There's a respect of the game, of people, there's a work attitude. And his teammates responded to that. As you can see yesterday, Mookie was having fun with him and trying to create a little bit of pressure for him. It's telling that people already gravitate towards him, and he's also tough." (Yonhap)