KBO Rates & Ranks Report #7
Week Ending 7/14/25
Document : KBO Rates & Ranks Report #7
Level : Professional - International
Source : https://www.fangraphs.com/
Offensive Date Data pulled : Monday, July 14, 2025 7:38 AM ET
Pitchers Date Data pulled: Monday, July 14, 2025 7:38 AM ET
Overview : From an offensive perspective, I rated & ranked 163 KBO players using stats for the follow dates 2025 Season Start - 7/14/2025 with a 60 PA minimum. Players were assessed using a neutralized Run Value system to measure their overall offensive production, broken down into two core components:
“The Run Tool”— Captures the value generated from non-hit plate appearances (walks, stolen bases, etc.)
“The Hit Tool”— Measures a player’s offensive impact via hitting.
“Overall” — A sum of the Run Tool and the Hit Tool, representing overall offensive contribution.
Each player is rated & ranked in these three categories: Run Tool, Hit Tool , and Overall
Full spreadsheet with Rates & Ranks
When I look at players I look at them in terms of production amongst their league and MLB standards. Here is where most player fall in terms of Run Value / PA or Overall Rate using a KBO scale
I like to compare these players to a MLB standard scale for production to see if they could make the transition. If I were looking to acquire a player from another league with lower competition, then I need this player to be producing at an above average production or better.
I used the MLB Overall Rate scale to color code the spreadsheet to easily identify players measure up against MLB Standards when viewing by Age. To view the spreadsheet by Age click the little calculator looking thing, then select ‘Group by Age’.
With that in mind, let’s use that structure to breakdown our report to help identify top talent in the KBO by Age for Great & Elite Production using an MLB Scale…
Age 21
Hyun Min Ahn 안현민 Wiz (KBO) - Elite Production - OF | 6'0" / 198 | Right / Right … 2nd year KBO player is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.216, #1 overall. An Overall Rate of 0.216 is 65.95% better than the average KBO player 0.130. A majority of his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #1 and Run Tool Ranked #8. He has an XBH rate of 12.96% and a HR rate of 7.41% in 260 PA. Striking out 13.85% of the time and above average 15.77% BB rate. His .356 BA is supported by a .372 BABIP. 4 SB at 100% success rate and 1 error in CF, 2 error in RF.
He meets all the numbers to be an A Grade offensive player in CF/LF/RF in that order. Without seeing him play ruling out CF, his bat plays best in LF then RF.
Do Yeong Kim 김도영 Tigers (KBO) Elite Production … 3B | 6'0" / 187 | Right / Right …4th year KBO player is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.189, ranking #4 overall. An Overall Rate of 0.189 is 44.83% better than the average KBO player 0.13. A majority of his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #2. He has an XBH rate of 16.00% and a HR rate of 7.00% in 111 PA. Only striking out 16.22% of the time and fairly patient with a 9.01% BB rate. His .330 BA is supported by a .338 BABIP….Defensively 3 errors so far this year at 3B .940 F%… currently dealing with a hamstring injury. Here’s more information on the injury from Jihan Kim https://www.mk.co.kr/en/sports/11328925 most recently eyeing a return per Korea JoongAng Daily on 7/14/25..
Hyun Bin Moon 문현빈 Eagles (KBO) - Great Production
Age 24
Dong Hyeok Kim 김동혁 Giants (KBO) - Great Production
Bo-gyeong Moon 문보경 Twins (KBO) - Great Production
Si-hwan Roh 노시환 Eagles (KBO) - Great Production
Seung-kyu Park 박승규Lions (KBO) - Great Production
Age 25
Jeong-won Choi 최정원Dinos (KBO) Elite Production… 5'9" / 154lbs | R/L | UTL… 5th year KBO player is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.190, ranking #3. An Overall Rate of 0.190 is 45.98% better than the average KBO player .130. A run heavy approach, his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #120 and his Run Tool ranked #1. He has an XBH rate of 3.03% and a HR rate of 0.00% in 90 PA. Only striking out 12.22% of the time and an above average BB rate 12.22%. 19 stolen bases and caught stealing 2 times. His 0.273 BA is supported by a .327 BABIP which is .025-.50 points lower than his career average. 1 error on the season.
Age 26
Seong-yoon Kim 김성윤 Lions (KBO)- Great Production
Age 28
Lewin Díaz 디아즈 Lions (KBO) Elite Production … 1B | 6'2" / 232 | L/L … 2nd year in the KBO, is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.176, ranking #7. An Overall Rate of 0.176 is 34.69% better than the average KBO player .13. A Hit heavy approach, his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #4 and his Run Tool ranked #109. He has an XBH rate of 13.20% and a HR rate of 8.50% in 378 PA. He is striking out 17.46% of the time and OK BB rate 9.26%. Three errors this season at 1B
Sung-moon Song 송성문 Heroes (KBO) - Great Production
Age 29
Luis Liberato 리베라토 Eagles (KBO) Elite Production … OF | 6'1" / 175 | L/L … 1st year in the KBO, is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.175, ranking #8. An Overall Rate of 0.175 is 34.29% better than the average KBO player .13. A Hit heavy approach, his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #3 and his Run Tool ranked #118. He has an XBH rate of 11.29% and a HR rate of 3.23% in 68 PA. He is striking out 22.06% of the time and OK BB rate of 8.82%.
Age 30
Victor Reyes 레이예스Giants (KBO) - Great Production
Jeong-hun Lee 이정훈Wiz (KBO) - Great Production
Age 31
Austin Dean 오스틴 Twins (KBO) Elite Production… 1B | 6'0" / 215 | R/R… 3rd year in the KBO, is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.180, ranking #4. An Overall Rate of 0.180 is 37.88% better than the average KBO player .130. A hit heavy approach, his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #8 and his Run Tool ranked #28. He has an XBH rate of 12.08% and a HR rate of 7.55% in 314 PA. He is only striking out 14.33% of the time and great BB rate 15.92%. Dean is currently dealing with an injury that sidelined him for the All-Star game.
Age 32
Min-woo Park 박민우 Dinos (KBO) - Great Production
Ja-wook Koo 구자욱 Lions (KBO) - Great Production
Jake Cave 케이브 Bears (KBO) - Great Production
Kang-nam Yoo 유강남 Giants (KBO) - Great Production
Age 33
Patrick Wisdom 위즈덤 Tigers (KBO) - Elite Production .. 1B | R/R | 6'2" / 220
The 1st year KBO player is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.184, ranking #5. An Overall Rate of 0.184 is 41.26% better than the average KBO player .130. A hit heavy approach, his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #7 and his Run Tool ranked #32. He has an XBH rate of 14.52% and a HR rate of 8.06% in 294 PA…He is striking out at a above average rate 26.19% and good BB rate 14.29%… 0.266 BA with a .299 BABIP.
Age 34
Matt Davidson 데이비슨 Dinos (KBO) - Great Production
Hui-dong Kwon 권희동 Dinos (KBO) - Great Production
Age 35
Dong-won Park 박동원 Twins (KBO) - Great Production
Jae-hoon Choi 최재훈 Eagles (KBO) - Great Production
Eun-seong Chae 채은성 Eagles (KBO) - Great Production
Mel Rojas Jr. 로하스 Wiz (KBO) - Great Production
Age 36
Jong-wook Ko 고종욱 Tigers (KBO)- Great Production
Age 37
Hyun Soo Kim 김현수 Twins (KBO)- Great Production
Age 38
ByungHo Park 박병호 Lions (KBO)- Great Production
Euiji Yang 양의지 Bears (KBO)- Great Production
Jeong Choi 최정 Landers (KBO)- Great Production … Congrats on his 500th Homerun!
Age 41
Hyoung-woo Choi 최형우Tigers (KBO) Elite Production … L/R | 5'10" / 189 … the 20 year KBO vet is posting elite production with an Overall Rate of 0.193, ranking #2. An Overall Rate of 0.193 is 47.74% better than the average KBO player .130. A hit heavy approach, his rate is coming from his Hit Tool ranked #6 and his Run Tool ranked #18. He has an XBH rate of 13.49% and a HR rate of 4.84% in 345 PA…He is striking out 16.23% of the time and great BB rate 16.52%.
Pitching : There is limited data on pitchers in KBO, so I had to use implied probabilities numbers for some XBH values to understand run value, which is why I use the *. From the pitching perspective, I rated & ranked 130 KBO pitchers for 2025 Season Start - 7/14/2025 with a minimum requirement of 20 IP. The pitchers are rated the same way in terms of run value but instead of Plate appearance or At Bat, I use Batter Faced.
Jung-hyun Baek 백정현 Lions (KBO) Age: 37
Beom-su Kim 김범수 Eagles (KBO) Age: 29
Yeong Tak Sung 성영탁 Tigers (KBO) Age: 20
Byeong Hyeon Jo 조병현 Landers (KBO) Age: 23
Cody Ponce 폰세 Eagles (KBO) Age: 31
Kyumin Woo 우규민 Wiz (KBO) Age: 40
Adam Oller 올러 Tigers (KBO) Age: 30
Drew Anderson 앤더슨 Landers (KBO) Age: 31
Dong-hyun Son 손동현 Wiz (KBO) Age: 24
Mitch White 화이트 Landers (KBO) Age: 30
SO % Leaders
Cody Ponce 폰세 Eagles (KBO) Age: 31 | SO Rate 36.76%
Drew Anderson 앤더슨 Landers (KBO) Age: 31 | SO Rate 35.55%
Riley Thompson 라일리 Dinos (KBO) Age: 28 | SO Rate 31.52%
Byeong Hyeon Jo 조병현 Landers (KBO) Age: 23 | SO Rate 30.92%
Taek Yeon Kim 김택연 Bears (KBO) Age: 20 | SO Rate 29.79%
Woo Joo Jeong 정우주 Eagles (KBO) Age: 18 | SO Rate 29.63%
Seo Hyeon Kim 김서현 Eagles (KBO) Age: 21 | SO Rate 29.34%
Ryan Weiss 와이스 Eagles (KBO) Age: 28 | SO Rate 28.57%
Ho Sung Lee 이호성 Lions (KBO) Age: 20 | SO Rate 27.75%
Adam Oller 올러 Tigers (KBO) Age: 30 | SO Rate 27.65%
That’s all for the KBO report, stay tuned next week for the MiLB Weekly Report.
This week I finished reading Built To Win by John Schuerholz. I was trying to find books that could give me insight on the GM perspective. It was a super easy read. I could not put this book down. Despite touching on a ton of different areas, the book did a really good job at making you feel like you were there, and easy to follow along. Here were some of my favorite tidbits :
Create a vision
Establish organizational goals.
Develop a roadmap, or game plan, if you prefer, for success.
Inspire the staff.
Provide the leadership.
Story about the Lion and Gazelle…Both of them realize that when the sun rises, they must be running for their lives.
Tom Glavine story about free agency. John did a great job tapping into the human side of things.
Barry Bonds was almost a Brave if it were not for Jim Leyland.
I really did enjoy the bits of self deprecating humor throughout the entire thing. This book was checked everything I was looking for at the intersection of finance/baseball/insurance/analytics/scouting. I’m not paid to refer books, here is an Amazon link to the book .
The next book I picked up to understand Orioles history, and the manager role is The Last Manager. The story of Earl Weaver.
Don’t forget to subscribe and follow me on Twitter | LinkedIn | Medium | IG | TikTok. If you loved it or hated it, let me know as well, but remember 3 ups & 3 downs. Give me 3 things you liked followed by 3 things you hated.
-Chris Boz
Failure to plan is planning to fail. Remain resolved in your pursuits.
Other Blogs...
MLB Analysis:
Phillies –Predicted how the Phillies might manage veteran workloads—such as placing Bryce Harper on the IL—and highlighted Otto Kemp as a likely call-up. Published May 28, 2025
Orioles – Published May 16, 2025, one day before they parted ways with Brandon Hyde: In it, I called for accountability and posed the question: "Is a shakeup at the helm necessary? Without a course correction soon, 2025 risks slipping away before it ever takes shape."
“Searching for the Oriole Way” - I examine the Orioles’ current trajectory through both a numbers-based lens and an instinctual baseball perspective. Published Jun 26, 2025
Pro Scouting Reports:
Norfolk Tides (Kyle Stowers) Published on Jul 29, 2024 ‘Stowers…Didn’t chase, and let it fly on a pitch in his zone. Stowers took advantage of the pitching today, as I would expect from a professional hitter facing 80–92ish. He definitely can hit this caliber pitching especially with his approach consistently. I think he needs an opportunity with a big club to see if he can translate his first at bat approach to next level caliber pitching.’ Stowers was traded on Jul 30, 2024 — The Marlins dealt left-hander Trevor Rogers to the Orioles for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby. For the 2025 season, as of 7/14/25 in 319 PA Stowers is slashing .293/.368/.543 with an OPS of .911.
Norfolk Tides (Coby Mayo) Published on Jul 28, 2024 ‘Coby Mayo is active at the plate. Not sure if that’s that best way to describe it, but there’s a lot of moving pieces before he gets the bat around. If Kyle Stowers is the most polished swing, Mayo might be the most raw swing on the Tide. It really showed itself when he was late to a pitch when the pitcher went slide step/fastball. He flew out to right on a fastball middleish/away. If he gets exposed here down by a AAA guy throwing 93.9 mph (respectfully), it’s not going to be better in MLB. Mayo is not a MLB ready first baseman. It’s going to take some time, because he had two errors over there. The second error cost two runs and the tying run to score. I don’t know what he looks like at third.’ While Mayo’s MLB playing time has been inconsistent, he’s struggled to adjust to MLB pitching and his power tool has not translated to the next level yet. Small sample size .203/.259/.304 in 2025 with 85 PA and improvement from 2024 with 46 PA .098/.196/.098. He has taken to 1B well.
Jackson Holliday Published on Jul 29, 2024 ‘Not too much changed from last night. Holliday has a big swing and there is a lot of swing & miss. I wish the contact to damage ratio was a little higher, but he’s young and I hope he grows into his swing. Defensively, he was playing second base. In the field he botched a double play ball. He ended up getting an out at second, but resorted to a quick glove flip/tap after he initially dropped it. (it was kinda cool) The talent is clearly there, but you have to make these routine plays. I am going to stick with my assessment last night. Stick to AAA and call it a year. I really do not think he can help the big club this year’ In 2024 slash line .189/.255/.311, and league average defender.’ In 2024 slash line .189/.255/.311, and league average defender.
Amateur Scouting Reports :
Scouting Report —Amateur, Division 1 Washington vs. Rutgers (3/28/25) Published Mar 29, 2025 … “Trevor Cohen #4 (1942/994/1358) … Position OF Ht./Wt. 6–1 / 195 B/T L/L Class JR … Game Notes : LHH — simple swing. Hands held behind his head, a slight bat wrap on takes. I like where his hands sit for him. They are flat, but corbin carrol esk.” … Selected by the San Francisco Giants 85th Overall in the 2025 MLB Draft.
D1 Scouting Report Amateur, URI vs. GMU (4/25/25) - Published on Apr 27, 2025… ‘James Quinn-Irons GMU #10…Game Impressions : Good frame 6’3-6-4” runs well in AB #2 triple. played CF - I thought he tracked the ball well in CF top 8th first out. At the plate, I thought he was in and out of his legs a bit…Nice swing, he gets the ball out in front and lifts the ball. There is definitely room for growth. His front side gets firm, but it never gets hard. Ya gotta hit against a stiff front leg if you want to drive a baseball with authority. You can slap a ball and if you are big or strong enough muscle some baseballs with a bent front leg, but you are not buggy whipping balls with a bent front leg. Similar situation not as extreme as Peyton Bonds of Rutgers. You gotta know that there is a next level of untapped power potential with a minor mechanical adjustment. for 6’4”-6’5” the kid moves well. Shoring up the front side will also help with the sway in his hips…Reminds me a little of Randell Grichuk’…. Selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 147th overall pick of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft.
Free Agent Valuation Tool :
My first test of the tool was Harrison Bader. My valuation tool estimated between $6.3–8.5 million…The final deal was $6.25 mil + $2 mil in possible incentives.
Kiké Hernández… My estimate using my valuation tool: $5.4–$7.6 million. Officially announced the terms: $6.5 million for 2025
Free Agent Evaluations:
Christian Walker Published on Dec 6, 2024 ‘To me, the Astros make a perfect home for Walker. The Astros are a very data driven organization and would see the value of a guy like Christian Walker. The Astros have an aging roster, so the age probably scares the Astros away from offering him a 3 year deal, but I 100% think they would be in on a 2 year deal. Maybe they do a 2 year deal with a 3rd year team option with a buyout. But they have a 1B spot open… my recommendation 3 years / $47.6-56Mil’ … Signed with Astros on Dec 23, 2024 for 3 years / $60 million
Ha-Seong Kim Published on Dec 17, 2024 ‘Guardians / Rays: Small-market teams love positional versatility…Ha-Seong Kim brings health concerns (check the rehab), but his game is built to produce and a lot of the underlying numbers are trending is a good direction. I feel he’s finally adjusting and making consistent strides in the right direction to learning when to be more aggressive at the plate. I see him as a guy that’s just scratching the surface in terms of what he’s capable of. He’s versatile, disciplined, and sneaky valuable on offense — even if he isn’t a slugger right now. For teams focused on speed, defense, and OBP, Kim’s a fit…1-5year/(11.5M-14.8M AAV).’…Signed with Rays on Feb 3, 2025 for 2 years/ 14.5 AAV
Tyler O’Neill – Published on Nov 17, 2024 ‘I could see him with the Orioles, I know the Orioles Super Computer wants him. The Orioles use vsL/vsR splits like it’s a religion, and if there is a player that can hit a ball out of any park it’s O’Neill (48%) of his home runs were no doubters. I’m sure Baltimore would love to have him as a DH vs lefties. I almost wrote this blog from the perspective of the Orioles Super Computer… Recommendation : the deal is 50% ($7.8 mil) guaranteed, which is what you are expecting him to play, then an additional ($1.56 Mil) for each additional 10% GP. $7.8 Guaranteed, $7.8 in games played Incentives or 2 years/$18.72 Mil.’…Signed with Orioles on Dec 7, 2024 for 3 years/$49.5Mil. As of 7/6/25 O’Neill’s played in less than 30% of Orioles games and if he plays in every game after his return from the IL on 7/5/24 has a max opportunity to play in 61.73% games.
Jurickson Profar Published on Nov 23, 2024 ‘Given Profar’s profile at 32, I’d recommend a 1-year, $6.75 million deal, with the possibility of a 2-year, $14 million deal for a team that views him as a complementary piece in an already established lineup. While his on-base skills are appealing, I’m not buying into the slugging breakout, especially given the stark home/away splits. He’s best suited as a high-OBP role player rather than a middle-of-the-order bat. I will probably get a lot of pushback here, if another team wants to pay more I would let that happen. This is just how I see it. I understand he’ll probably get a bigger deal, which I’m fine with.’ On Jan 23, 2025 Profar signed with the Braves three-years, $42 million. On Mar 31, 2025 Profar received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a performance-enhancing substance.
Max Kepler Published on Dec 20, 2024 ‘Considering Kepler’s declining durability, speed, and offensive production, you must expect he will only play around 70% of the games. Based on these factors, my contract recommendation would have been $1 million. Maybe he can play himself into another contract.’… Signed with the Phillies on Dec 20, 2024 for $10Mil. As of 7/14/25 in 313 PA Kepler is slashing .210/.307/.371
MiLB :
Scouting Report MiLB High-A affiliate - Ironbirds (Orioles) German / Freeberger / Méndez – Scouting report from a game I attended, focus on pitching evaluations. Published on May 10, 2025
KBO/NPB :
KBO Rates & Ranks Report #6 Bi-Weekly is a tracking/monitoring report I publish bi-weekly. I rate and rank production for KBO. NPB Rates & Ranks Report #6 Bi-Weekly is a tracking/monitoring report I publish bi-weekly. I rate and rank production for NPB. Published on July 1, 2025
Amateur :