Kim Hye-sung, a warm NL rookie competition, should pay attention, but the real thing is the 12K monster fireballer against LAD

Jul 17, 2025

Kim Hye-sung, a warm NL rookie competition, should pay attention, but the real thing is the 12K monster fireballer against LAD
LA Dodgers Kim Hye-sung tied for fourth place in the NL Rookie of the Year nomination. ImagesYonhap News



Kim Hye-sung, a warm NL rookie competition, should pay attention, but the real thing is the 12K monster fireballer against LAD
LA Dodgers Kim Hye-sung hits a timely hit in the top of the 6th inning in an away game against the San Francisco Giants on the 13th (Korea time). ImagesYonhap News
LA Dodgers' Kim Hye-sung was mentioned as a candidate for the Rookie of the Year. Although he is not a complete starter, it is analyzed that he is increasing his team's contribution with excellent defense, base running, and decisive hitting in the Dodgers.

ESPN introduced major competition aspects in an article titled 「2025 MLB Awards All-Star Break: MVP, Cy Young Award, Others」 on the 17th (Korea Standard Time).

Kim Hye-sung was tied for fourth in the category of 'NL Rookie of the Year'.




ESPN ranked by sector based on the index 'AXE'. AXE is an index calculated by combining key value indicators in saber metrics such as WAR (Wins Above Replaceden), WPA (Win Probability Added), and CPA (Champion Probability Added). The higher the league average is 100, the higher the value of the player.

In the NL Rookie of the Year category, Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin (113) is ranked first, and Milwaukee right-hander Chad Patrick and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin are tied for second with 112. And Kim Hye-sung and Milwaukee left fielder Isaac Collins tied for fourth with 109. In other words, there is not much difference between the top rookies.

Kim Hye-sung, a warm NL rookie competition, should pay attention, but the real thing is the 12K monster fireballer against LAD
Milwicky Brewers Jacob Mizerowski. EPA Yonhap News
In other words, it is true that the NL Rookie of the Year competition is 'Warm." This is because the competition is not fierce, and there are no players who can challenge for individual titles like AL's Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson.




Caleb's figures are weak with an OPS of 0.771 with four home runs and 32 RBIs in 74 games, and Patrick was relegated to Triple-A on the 7th. However, in the case of Patrick, it can be said that he was pushed out of the big league rotation not because of poor performance, but because Milwaukee's starters are saturated.

That's why ESPN pointed to Milwaukee 'Yeonggun Fireballer'Jacob Mizurauski as the `most rapidly rising player' among NL rookies.

Mizerauski made his debut on June 13 against the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched five innings, and continued his no-hitter until the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins, his next appearance. In other words, he stopped the first 11 innings of his debut with a no-hitter. Although he played only five games during the first half of the year, it is no exaggeration to say that his pitching and skills are top-class. Throwing 25 ⅔ innings, he allowed 11 walks and 33 strikeouts. He is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA.




He is overwhelming big league hitters with fast balls up to 102.4 miles and an average of 99.3 miles and sliders in the late 90s as his main weapons. In the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 9th, he struck out 12 in six innings.

Kim Hye-sung, a warm NL rookie competition, should pay attention, but the real thing is the 12K monster fireballer against LAD
Kim Hye-sung's chances of playing in the second half are expected to expand as third baseman Max Muncy's knee injury is prolonged. AP Yonhap News
ESPN also surprised Mizerauski to be named an All-Star as a must-see starting pitcher in the big league. He knelt down to the New York Mets while raising an ERA of 1.13 in his first three games, but showed off his overwhelming pitching against the defending champion Dodgers in six innings. He struck out 12 at the time and won a showdown with Clayton Kershaw. He is now No. 1 in the NL Rookie of the Year category, he told ESPN BET.

And Kim Hye-sung was selected as the next player to watch.

ESPN said, `Kim Hye-sung has been doing well as the Dodgers expected. Elite-level defense and base learning did what we knew, and surprisingly, it has 137 OPS+ at-bats. With Max Muncy out with a knee injury, Kim Hye-sung will play more regularly in the coming weeks.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.