Dodgers infield and first base coach Chris Woodward has made a bold comparison between rising utility player Hyeseong Kim and a five-time Defensive Player of the Year. After starting the season in Triple-A, Kim has seized his opportunity at shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, stepping in while Gold Glove shortstop Mookie Betts recovers from a right oblique strain.

Since April 5, Kim has started 22 games at shortstop, turning eight double plays and committing just three errors. His defensive prowess hasn't gone unnoticed. Woodward drew a parallel between Kim and Andrelton Simmons, who won five Wilson Defensive Player of the Year awards and four Gold Gloves during his prime with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels from 2012 to 2020.

"The talent he has, the work ethic, all the things combined, I've never seen a package quite like that," Woodward said, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "I think Simmons at his peak was probably similar. The arm strength, the quickness, he might have been the best I've ever seen."

Woodward went on to praise Kim's relentless drive: "But Kim's work ethic is off the charts. I have to tell him to stop. He wants to go, go, go. The speed, the arm strength, there are certain things he does that I can't teach, mechanically. His hips are so mobile. He can be completely across his body and still throw a ball 100 mph across the field. And you're like, 'That doesn't make any sense.'"

Now in his second MLB season after joining the Dodgers last year, Kim is under contract through 2027. The Dodgers hold a two-year club option for 2028 and 2029, each worth $5 million. If Kim continues to flash this kind of defensive brilliance, that option could be a steal for Los Angeles.