MESA, Ariz. — Hyeseong Kim called his time at the World Baseball Classic with Team South Korea a “great experience.”
Too bad that wasn’t reflected in the way he swung the bat.
In four WBC games this month, Kim had just one hit in 12 at-bats for a Korean team that was knocked out in the quarterfinals by the Dominican Republic earlier this week.
The lone hit was memorable, a score-tying two-run home run against Team Japan at the Tokyo Dome in a rivalry game Korea lost 8-6.
The rest of the time, however, Kim failed to build on the success he experienced at the start of the spring.
And after returning to Dodgers camp, he felt some inefficiencies in his swing were to blame.
“After watching some of the videos [of my games], we noticed that there were some changes [compared to] before I left,” Kim said through an interpreter, specifically pointing to the movement of his lower half and bat path through the zone. “It’s been on and off each game. So just trying to focus on those things and make sure they smooth out.”
Kim’s swing remained a work in progress Sunday, when he had just one hit — a softly lined single, followed by a stolen base and run scored — in four at-bats in a spring training game against the Cubs.
Now, he has just a week remaining in spring training to try to find a fix; hoping to show the Dodgers enough to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.
“I’m focused on the things I’m good at, such as baserunning and defense; I want to make sure I perfect those categories,” he said. “But my WBC numbers weren’t great. So I want to make sure this last week, I focus on my hitting also.”
Kim has been competing for a spot primarily at second base, where a platoon role opposite of Miguel Rojas is open while Tommy Edman recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
Before leaving for the WBC, he seemed to have the inside track for the job over fellow second-year infielder Alex Freeland — who hasn’t helped his case much by batting .118 in the Cactus League this spring.
However, Kim’s renewed struggles have seemingly altered the calculus, leaving the competition open with the regular season less than two weeks away.
“Right now, he seems out of sync with his swing,” manager Dave Roberts said of Kim, who also missed a WBC game after jamming his finger on a base but said the injury was completely healed.
“He obviously makes sense on our roster,” Roberts added. “But he also has to get into a good place where he feels confident that he can conduct at-bats and be productive. That’s the same thing with Alex Freeland as well. At least we still have time to figure some things out.”
Here are four other takeaways from the Dodgers on Sunday:
Tucker tanks: Kyle Tucker uncorked another long ball in the home half of the Dodgers’ split-squad game Sunday, launching a two-run blast 390 feet to right in a 5-3 win over the Rangers. It was his second homer of the spring.
Double-duty Mook: In the Dodgers’ 14-8 win against the Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa, Mookie Betts had highlights on both sides of the ball: His first spring home run, on a 414-foot drive to center; and a web gem at shortstop, when he went deep into the hole to his right to stop a grounder before firing a strong and accurate throw across the diamond.
Caught my eye: After being claimed off waivers, then outrighted to the minors, earlier this spring, outfielder Jack Suwinski rang in his Cactus League debut with the Dodgers by also hitting a home run against the Cubs. Suwinski, 27, is a four-year MLB veteran with the Pirates who had strong numbers (.314 average, five home runs) against the Dodgers in his career.
Up next: Tyler Glasnow will make what is likely his last start in Cactus League play, when the Dodgers host the Brewers on Monday afternoon at Camelback Ranch.
