Minor League Baseball

Here's When the 'Korean Shohei Ohtani' Could Join Texas Rangers

The Rangers officially came to an agreement with 18-year-old Seong-Jun Kim, giving the two-way standout an opportunity to pitch and play the infield. Here's the latest information on when we will see him in the Texas system.
Brady Farkas|
A view of the batting helmet and batting gloves and elbow guard of Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (not pictured) after Beltre leaves the game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Park in Arlington in 2018.
A view of the batting helmet and batting gloves and elbow guard of Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (not pictured) after Beltre leaves the game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Park in Arlington in 2018. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In this story:

Texas Rangers

Over the weekend, the Texas Rangers officially came to an agreement with 18-year-old Korean standout Seong-Jun Kim. We chronicled the announcement here, but we've learned a little more since then.

According to Kennedi Landry, who covers the Rangers for MLB.com, Kim still needs to finish high school in Korea. He is set to graduate in January of 2026, meaning we won't see him join the organization until that point.

Nicknamed the "Korean Ohtani," Kim will get an opportunity to play both ways for Texas. A shortstop and a right-handed pitcher, Kim throws up to 95 mph right now.

While Ohtani was able to dominate baseball from a two-way perspective when healthy as a pitcher, he did so largely as a designated hitter also. It will be incredibly difficult for Kim to perform as a pitcher and a position player, but the Rangers appear set to let him try, at least at the outset.

“We're so excited about Seong-Jun Kim, a world-class talent and also a world-class person,” said Rangers senior director of international scouting and development Hamilton Wise. “We've been so impressed with him defensively at shortstop and in the batter's box, but also on the pitcher's mound. We have full intent as an organization to develop him as a two-way player.

If playing the field becomes too difficult to balance, there's a chance that he also could be limited to DH-only status, but even succeeding "just" at that would provide the Rangers with an incredible amount of organizational value.

When Kim does join the organization, it's unclear how the team will integrate him into pro ball, but we should start to get some answers around spring training of 2026.

Related MiLB Stories

MOVIN' ON UP: Jac Caglianone, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 draft, has been promoted to Triple-A by the Royals. He's now just one step away from the big leagues. CLICK HERE:

HISTORY-MAKING PROSPECT: Noah Cameron has dominated in two career starts for the Royals, allowing just three hits in total. His stat line has never been seen before in baseball history. CLICK HERE:

WHAT's THE LATEST?: Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft has been dealing with an undisclosed injury for the Guardians. CLICK HERE:

Published | Modified
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

Home/INTERNATIONAL