Korean Major Leaguers, It Was an Especially Harsh Year

Only Jung-hoo Lee Played a Full Season, Making a Strong Impression
Ha-Seong Kim Struggled with Injury Setbacks, Sung Moon Song Played as a Backup
Hyesung Kim Failed to Return After Demotion to Minor Leagues in May

This year was particularly harsh. This also reflects the performance of Korean players active in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States this season.

On September 28th (Korea Standard Time), MLB completed the long journey of the 2026 regular season. The 12 teams advancing to the postseason have now been determined. This year's MLB postseason will start with the Wild Card Series from September 30th to October 2nd.

Hyesung Kim's Los Angeles Dodgers, Ha-Seong Kim's Atlanta Braves, and Sung Moon Song's San Diego Padres have all been invited to the fall festivities. There is growing attention on how many Korean players will be included in the postseason roster.

Among Korean players active in Major League Baseball, only Jung-hoo Lee showed an impressive performance. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Among them, only Jung-hoo Lee, outfielder of the San Francisco Giants, consistently performed throughout the season. He played in 143 games and posted a .276 batting average, 10 home runs, 57 RBIs, and an OPS of .724.

Ha-Seong Kim went through the most challenging season of his career. Early this year, he slipped on icy roads and injured his right middle finger, which hampered his performance. Although he returned to the regular season late, he finished with a .116 batting average, 9 RBIs, and no home runs. It is the worst record in his career since debuting in MLB.

Sung Moon Song, who made his big league debut this year, mostly served as a backup. He was mainly utilized as a substitute defender or pinch runner. He concluded his rookie season with a .191 batting average, 1 home run, 17 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.

Hyesung Kim with the Dodgers had a tough time mentally. Losing the competition for a starting spot, he was sent down to the minor leagues last May. In his second year in the big leagues, Hyesung Kim closed out the season with a .259 batting average, 1 home run, 11 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.