Texas Rangers Sign Highly Coveted Two-Way Korean Prospect

The Texas Rangers might have just signed their Shohei Ohtani in this teenager from Korea.

Oct 10, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the Texas Rangers logo on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers in game three of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ever since two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani burst onto the scene in Major League Baseball, teams across the league have been searching high and low for who could be the next two-way star to elevate their roster in a similar fashion.

The Texas Rangers might have just found the guy to fit this archetype, as the team recently announced they have agreed to terms with an 18-year-old two-way player from South Korea named Seong-Jun Kim.

According to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry, the two-way teenage phenom is expected to graduate from Gwangju Jeil High School in January of next year, and the team has scheduled an introductory press conference for Sunday.

The Rangers have agreed to terms with two-way Korean prospect (SS/RHP) Seong-Jun Kim. He will graduate from Gwangju Jeil High School in January 2026.

Texas is expected to hold an introductory presser tomorrow.

— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) May 17, 2025

Per Baseball America's Ben Badler, the deal is reportedly worth $1.2 million, and Kim will join the organization following his graduation next winter. Badler also writes that the team plans on having Kim start as a two-way player.

Whether Kim can play both ways long term is still far from guaranteed, but if he can, the rundown Badler gives on his skillset makes it very easy to see why the Rangers felt comfortable shelling out such a massive investment to land him.

"Kim is an athletic, 6-foot right-hander with a loose arm, easy delivery and a fastball that has touched 95 mph with feel for a hard slider and a splitter," Badler writes."His athleticism translates well on the mound, the place some scouts think is his most likely future at higher levels, but it’s also evident at shortstop. He defends his position well with a strong arm and should stick at shortstop if he does remain a hitter at higher levels. 

If Texas can mold Kim into the type of player Balder describes here, then the star potential is through the roof. A two-way player who can play a premier defensive position is unheard of. Even if Kim is just average at the plate, he'll still be a once-in-a-generation type player if he can reach his full potential defensively.

Obviously, this is still a very premature conversation about a kid who hasn't even graduated from high school. Still, teams usually don't invest the type of international signing money the Rangers have here if they aren't fairly certain the player can develop.

If Kim is who Texas thinks he will be, he could end up having a similar impact on Korean baseball as Ohtani has had on Japanese baseball. The MLB could also have found its next international superstar to build around.

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