Kwang-hyun Kim

From BR Bullpen

Kwang-hyun Kim

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 2", Weight 183 lb.

Born July 22, 1988

Kwang-hyun Kim (Korean, 김광현) won five important games from October 2007 through August 2008 after a disappointing rookie season in Korea. He then was South Korea's dominant hurler in 2008.

Kim was a top high school prospect. In 2004, he had a 0.74 ERA in a national high school tournament. He pitched in the 2005 Asian Youth Championship and a World Youth Championship.

Kim was signed by the SK Wyverns for a 500 million won bonus. He was 3-7 with a 3.67 ERA in his rookie campaign, allowing 80 hits and 41 walks in 77 innings in a disappointing season. In the postseason, he turned in a gem. In game four of the 2007 Korean Series, he faced MVP Danny Rios and out-dueled him, allowing just one hit in 7 1/3 innings and struck out nine for a major victory to help the Wyverns to the Korean Series title.

In the 2007 Asia Series, Kim got the first victory by a Korean hurler against Japan in the event's history, defeating the Chunichi Dragons in the round-robin phase.

Kim joined South Korea's national team for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament and helped them win a spot in the Beijing Summer Games. He shut down a Mexican national team with several former major leaguers, allowing only a Miguel Ojeda homer in a 6-1 win. Against host Taiwan, he allowed two first-inning runs before settling down for a 4-3 victory. He was 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA, finishing 8th in the tourney in ERA. He tied Alexandre Periard, Steve Green, Scott Richmond, Chien-Ming Chiang, Chien-Fu Yang and teammate Min-han Son for the most wins in the event.

Kim got two good starts for South Korea against Japan in the 2008 Olympics, including a win in the semifinals to help Korea win Gold. He was 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in Beijing, striking out 12 in 14 1/3 IP.

Kim almost won a pitching Triple Crown in 2008, leading the Korea Baseball Organization in wins (16) and strikeouts (150). His 2.39 ERA was .06 behind leader Seok-min Yoon. He was named KBO MVP, getting 51 of 94 votes, 24 more than runner-up Hyun-soo Kim. Kwang-hyun won a bonus of around $15,000 for the award.