Taehan
Kim

Taehan Kim, Redondo Union High (CA), 2027
Positional Profile: C/1B Athletic catcher with a whip-like barrel and present pop in his swing.
Body: 5-10, 180-pounds. Athletic, firm frame with present strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Very narrow lower half with the front foot offset heavily and a knee bend present. Upper half coiled together with hands rested just below the rear shoulder. Back elbow flared towards the catcher. Toe tap stride to initiate the load into the rear leg. Hands cast slightly out and downward in a handsy load, showing strong separation between the upper and lower half with a very whip-like barrel and heavy pop. Very rhythmic load and swing.
Arm: RH. C-78 mph. Jab arm backpath from a high 3/4 release point. Optimal trajectory on throws.
Defense: 1.90-1.95 pop times. Quick pop-up from the stance, showing urgency. Quick transfer as well, with urgency in his movements behind the dish. Stays balanced with a one-leg finish.

Kim was another player making his debut for the Prep Baseball California event platform and it was a strong one for the RH hitting catcher. Solidly built at 5'9 with strength already emerging on his frame at 186.3 lbs. already. His entire workout was impressive showing an overall well-rounded ability to his game. Behind the dish Kim is an athletic receiver who looked comfortable in each of his bullpen sessions during the event while flashing high level arm strength. Over his throwing session Kim lived in the upper 70's with each throw peaking at 79 MPH with plenty of reason to anticipate it ticking over 80 MPH in the future. He is accurate with his throws from a quick release the produces 1.85-1.92 pop times during a workout setting. Already comfortably amongst the top players at the event with his defensive work the offensive profile for Kim is equally if not even more impressive. His RH swing is athletic with quickness in the hands reaching over 22 MPH of hand speed, solid bat speed reaching over 72 MPH while posting impressive torque at 25.9 Gs of rotational acceleration. Those swing metrics alone are strong, but his feel to combine it with a strong approach allowed for Kim to produce high end batted ball data. His max EV was amongst the top in attendance with a 99.2 MPH peak while averaging 91.4 MPH of exit velocity across the entirety of his round. The deeper dive metrics were strong for Kim with a 67% hard hit rate while producing a 56% sweet spot rate with his batted ball angles. An uncommitted backstop in the 2027 class with a well-rounded profile Kim is a name to be keeping close tabs on going forward.

Taehan Kim, Redondo Union High (CA), 2027
Positional Profile: C/1B Defensively sound catcher with present strength and power potential at the plate.
Body: 5-9, 186-pounds. Proportional, Physical frame with present strength and athleticism.
Hit: RHH. Narrow, open stance with heavy pre-load into the back leg. Rhythmic double toe tap load works in sequence with hand movements and back hip coil. Hands lift the barrel and extend to create tension. Downhill bat path creates backspin and hard line drives. Hips and torso fire with power to a long one hand finish. 68 mph bat speed with 21 G's of rotational acceleration.
Power: 99 max exit velocity, averaged 91.4 mph. 360' max distance.
Arm: RH. C-79 mph. Quick, compact arm motion that stays close to the ear and finishes in a 3/4 slot. Arm fully extends with noticeable recoil.
Defense: 1.85-1.92 pop times. Works from a one-knee set up and utilizes quick, athletic footwork to maintain direction to 2B. Explosive out of the squat and follows through with accurate throws. Seamless glove-to-hand transitions.
ATH: 8.58 runner in the 60. 1.86 and 4.38 in the 10 and 30 yard splits.