In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman

Jun 26, 2025

In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman



In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
'The team can run for a long time only when the main player's batting sense is revived.'

LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' team management philosophy is clear. I am not happy with my short-term performance. I firmly believe in the message that big data delivers. Through this, we seek thorough efficiency. This is why he has established himself as the best manager in the MLB (MLB) era, despite being criticized for being the "Dolbutz" in the early days of the coach.

The reason why Kim Hye-sung, who has been showing a hot blow since the big league call-up, is used as a starter is also explained from this point of view. Rather than Kim Hye-sung's batting rise, Roberts is choosing a way to revive the entire team.




This is not discrimination against Kim Hye-sung. It's a heartless, cold-headed decision made to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to the goal of winning their second consecutive World Series title. Thanks to Roberts' consistent team management method, the Dodgers have overcome the "hellish competition" at the beginning of the season and are currently in the first place in the National League West.

Kim Hye-sung was excluded from the away game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on the morning of the 26th (Korea time). The opponent is right-handed, but he is on the bench.

In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
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Roberts had a lineup similar to the previous day. Only the fourth batter and catcher were slightly changed. Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter)-Mookie Betts (striker)-Freddie Freeman (first baseman). The trio are always fixed. Max Muncy (third baseman) took over as the fourth batter for the first time in a long time. It is followed by Teoscar Hernandez (right-handed), Andy Pazas (center fielder), Tommy Edman (second baseman), and Michael Confoto (left-handed). Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, catcher Dalton Rushing came out as the ninth batter.




Kim Hye-sung was excluded from the selection of the opponent's right-hander for the second consecutive time following the previous day. From the point of view of Korean fans, it is bursting with anger. It doesn't even fit into the platoon system Roberts believes in. According to the system, Kim should have started.

In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
In particular, Kim Hye-sung is currently maintaining a very good batting sense. Since coming to the Major League on May 4, he has a batting average of 0.372 (29 hits in 78 at-bats) with two home runs, 12 RBIs and an OPS of 0.948 in 34 games. Looking at the figures alone, there seems to be no shortage compared to any player in the big league.

However, Roberts is not using Kim Hye-sung, but Michael Confoto, who has the lowest batting average (0.171) among Major League hitters who have filled the regular at-bats, as the starting pitcher. In the first and second games away from Colorado, Confoto continued to play in left field No. 8.




The same goes for Edman. Edman, who suffered an ankle injury early in the season, currently has a low batting average of 0.248 (54 hits in 218 at-bats in 61 games). Instead, he is playing his part in terms of slugging power and scoring productivity with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs. Kim Hye-sung steadily gained opportunities when Edman was injured, but competition itself does not exist after recovering his health. This is why Korean fans accuse Roberts of being `devastating favoritism.'

In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
However, this method is nothing strange from the perspective of Roberts and the LA Dodgers.

This is because the Dodgers have already designed this type of use since the time they recruited Kim Hye-sung. From the time it was recruited, it was clearly stated that 'Utility Player'. Kim Hye-sung is 'Utility Player' until at least this season. In simple terms, it means 'A poor backup player' Compared to the relatively small annual salary ($3.5 million), he was recruited as a character who can play various positions both inside and outside.

Hit is an indicator that was evaluated secondarily. There was no expectation of a hit from the start. Even if I didn't do well, I wasn't too disappointed, but when I did it so well, it was like 'Golden Prize' from the Dodgers' point of view. Thanks to this, Roberts and the Dodgers' front office's trust and satisfaction with Kim Hye-sung are quite high.

However, this positive assessment is based on the utility man Kim Hye-sung. This means that it is not enough to shake the framework of the main structure, which is already firmly formed. It is ridiculous to put Confoto or Edman on the bench just because Kim Hye-sung is playing a brilliant role now.

In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
Major League Baseball pursues a thoroughly business-oriented operation. From this point of view, it is also reasonable to give more opportunities to Confoto, who gives him $17 million (about 23.2 billion won) a year than Kim Hye-sung, to bring about a recovery in his sense of hitting. Above all, Confoto is a batter who can hit 20 home runs if he consistently goes out. He is a player that the Dodgers hired for a high amount of money ahead of this season due to his strong outfield defense and long hit.

Such Confoto's benching that he is only hitting a batting average of around 10% at the beginning of the season is, in the end, the Dodgers admit that they failed to recruit him in the last stove league. Roberts has no choice but to give him a chance at least throughout this season.

Edman is more important. He is the winner of the World Series and has already been proven in defense and hitting ability. The batting average is just low in the aftermath of the injury. If the at-bats accumulate, they will eventually return to their average.

In the end, the team will live only when the main player survives. Roberts' consistent philosophy of appointment, which is included in the exclusion of Kim Hye-sung's selection, and the reason for appointing Confoto and Edman
The game on Saturday is very meaningful in this regard. Roberts gave Confoto and Edman a chance without Kim Hye-sung. And they exploded as if they had promised. Confoto hit a come-from-behind three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning and became the main player of the team's victory. He had two hits (one homer) and three RBIs in five times at bat. Edman also recovered by making one hit and two runs from four times at bat, in addition to solid defense on the second base. It was exactly what Roberts expected.

With this result, Kim Hye-sung naturally had no choice but to wait on the bench rather than starting on the 26th. It's reserve power in case of an unexpected event. It is not because Roberts specifically discriminated against or undervalued Kim Hye-sung. Kim Hye-sung's current position in the Dodgers is only here. In this way, Roberts leads his team to the top of the district with a winning percentage of around 60%. It is a grade that cannot be challenged from the beginning.



Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.