Baltimore Orioles: Where does Orioles’ Kim rank among left fielders in AL East?
By Nate Wardle
4. Baltimore Orioles
Orioles’ LFs – Hyun Soo Kim, Joey Rickard, Seth Smith (RF), Aneury Tavarez, Craig Gentry, Anthony Santander, Corey Dickerson, Michael Bourn*
It is assumed that Hyun Soo Kim will be the main left fielder for the Orioles in 2017. He may platoon, but expect Kim to start against right-handers, and possibly left-handers as well.
Kim in 2016 hit .302/.382/.420 with 6 HRs, 16 2Bs, 22 RBIs and 36 runs in 95 games for the Orioles. It took awhile for him to get into the lineup regularly, which changed after Joey Rickard suffered a season-ending injury.
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Kim is not going to be a power hitter, but the Orioles would not be surprised if he has more pop in his second year in the majors. Kim went 0-17 against lefties in 2016, but historically fared well against left-handers playing in the Korean Baseball Organization, so the Orioles anticipate that if he does start against lefties, he does a better job.
Defensively, Kim is not great. He had a -1.6 dWAR, a terrible total fielding runs above average of -13 and range well below league average. His arm is sufficient in left field, but Kim will never be a flashy outfielder. Just get to the ones you should.
Joey Rickard, Aneury Tavarez, Anthony Santander, Craig Gentry and Corey Dickerson are all battling for a reserve spot/platoon role. Tavarez and Santander are Rule 5 picks, so it is majors or gone.
Michael Bourn would also be on that list, except for the fact he broke a finger and is out until probably mid-April. The Orioles’ reserve outfielder battle is intense and will be interesting to watch the rest of Spring Training.