프로비던스 저널 It's sink or swim time for Sox submariner Kim

[Sharon]

It's sink or swim time for Sox submariner Kim

Once considered one of the most promising right-handers in baseball, Byung-Hyun Kim has yet to prove his worth to the Red Sox.

10:24 AM EST on Tuesday, March 1, 2005

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The sweat was pouring off his face as he moved from one piece of apparatus to another.

AP photo

It's tough to get a clear read on Byung-Hyun Kim, whether you're a teammate or an opposing hitter.

He stretched his back muscles. He worked on his quadriceps. He strengthed his groin muscles. His effort at the local fitness center was dogged, tireless, spurred on by a woman who serves as his personal trainer.

And this strenuous session came only a few hours after he had finished a workout with the Boston Red Sox at their minor league complex.

No one can ever say that Byung-Hyun Kim doesn't work hard. Indeed, he has been criticized for working too hard.

But will things ever work out for the enimgatic, submarine-style right-hander and the Boston Red Sox? Will he ever be able to harness his considerable potential while wearing a Red Sox uniform?

Those are intriguing $5 million questions in training camp this spring, especially after the Red Sox essentially threw $5 million out the window in 2004, when Kim, plagued by a back injury and a total lack of confidence, didn't even come close to earning that salary in the first season of a two-year $10-million deal.

Kim is only 26 years old, with splashes of success on his résumé, notably with Arizona during its World Championship season of 2001. He is flying under the radar in this camp, though, lost in the afterglow of the Sox' 2004 World Series title and the additions of other pitchers such as Matt Mantei, John Halama, Matt Clement and Wade Miller.

"He's capable of playing a dominant role on the staff. Obviously, he has the stuff to be a difference-maker," said general manager Theo Epstein yesterday.

There is the flip side, too, as Epstein and the Sox painfully learned last year, when Kim spent more time in his native Korea, reportedly working with a physical therapist, and in Pawtucket than he did in the big leagues. Kim was 2-6 with a 5.34 earned-run average in 22

games for the PawSox, and 2-1 with a 6.23 E.R.A. in seven games for Boston.

"He's also capable of having an off year, as we saw last year," acknowledged Epstein.

What will they get this year?

"I really don't know," said pitching coach Dave Wallace.

In truth, the Sox haven't known what to expect since late in the 2003 season, when Kim, who had been obtained on May 29 that year for Shea Hillenbrand, faltered badly out of the bullpen. Things went from bad to worse when the lustily booed Kim flashed an obscene gesture at the Fenway Park crowd during player introductions during a playoff game.

That incident deepend the divide between Kim and his teammates, not to mention infuriating the Sox and their passionate fans.

A year ago, Kim was a strong candidate to secure the fifth spot in the starting rotation. It was his to lose. And he did. First, his velocity began to diminish and his ball didn't sink. A sore right shoulder and overall fatigue were cited by the Sox, blaming Kim's woes on his rigorous training regimen.

They had him rest. They sent him to Pawtucket. And when things didn't improve, they allowed him to go to Korea for a while. Basically, the Sox didn't know what else to do with him or for him. He was activated on Sept. 22 and worked in four games for Boston the rest of the season with mediocre results. Not surprisingly, he was not included on the postseason rosters.

It's a new year. Kim still is a loner, interacting with very few of his teammates, some of whom still hold his obscene gesture and other perceived personal flaws against him.

But if he can pitch, he'll win a spot, regardless of the distance his teammates keep from him. Not everyone embraced Pedro Martinez on a daily basis, but they loved him every time he took the mound because he gave them a chanec to win.

The burden is on Kim. He still has to prove he can once again get out major league hitters. And he has shown flashes of his old form in a couple of batting practices sessions so far.

"I was thoroughly impressed," said Pawtucket pitching coach Mike Griffin after Kim's first BP session. "He was better than last year in Pawtucket. He had good sink on his ball and worked both sides of the plate. It's obvious he did a lot of work over the winter."

"He was really letting the ball go," added Wallace, who saw Kim in his second BP assignment. "It's hard to tell yet, but the other day he really turned a couple of pitches loose. He didn't do that a year ago."

Obviously it's early in camp. The true tests will come in games, and the Sox aren't waiting long to see if Kim has regained his stuff and his confidence. He will follow Clements, the starter in Thursday night's exhibition opener.

Kim, meanwhile, would prefer not to talk about last year. He refused to talk to the Korean press last week. And yesterday Kim, who is 31-28 with a 3.37 E.R.A. and 86 saves in 299 big-league games, politely declined to speak to a reporter about 2004.

"It's getting better," was all Kim would say, in English, of his pitching.

The Sox have their fingers crossed. Wallace knows that Kim could be a vital piece to the bullpen to help Mantei as a setup man, but he doesn't want to get too giddy about those prospects, not after last year. Nor does anyone else with the Sox.

"He is in camp getting ready for the season like any other pitcher," said Epstein. "I'm just going to chalk up last year as an injury year even though it wasn't just an injury. He didn't have any confidence and he didn't pitch well.

"What's relevant?" said Epstein. "The way he was last year or his career track record. We hope it's his career track record. There are signs of optimism. He looks ready to pitch. But he'll determine his role. If he goes out and pitches well, he'll have an important role. If he doesn't, he won't."

[L a P a z]

샤로 하이~ 나 빤쓰,,, 근데 뭔소리야??

[커피]

샤론 하이^^ 샤론 나빠요~~ 이게 뭔소리래요?? 2 ㅋㅋㅋ

[Lemon]

샤론 하이^^ 샤론 나빠요~~ 이게 뭔소리래요?? 3 ㅎㅎㅎ

[Only B.K]

중고등학교 6년에 대학4년까지 10년 영어 배웠지만.. 알파벳뿐이 모르는... 저같은 사람을 위해 해석이라도... 아님 간추린 내용이라도... 올려달라구 하면 무식하다 욕하시려오?

[케이]

It's sink or swim time for Sox submariner Kim ~~~~~~

[꽁방울]

샤론님 반가워요..엠바다에 덕미라벨리님의 번역글이 있네요. 그간 보스톤언론의 BK깍아내리기 총정리를 보는듯 합니다. 테오가 말한 important role은 연봉에 걸맞는 팀내 2선발을 말하는거겠죠...

[HuffRapedMyDog]

잘하면 신임얻고 못하면 욕먹을거라는 내용이군요. 보도내용으로 보아 구단에서 선발에의 기대는 크지 않고 중간계투 역할을 기대하고 있는 듯한 인상입니다. 트레이드 해도 그쪽으로의 가치가 높으니 일단 그쪽으로 밀겠지요.