Jones on Kim: "People are eating their words on pointless opinions"

LOS ANGELES - When he hit just .178 in spring training with no extra-base hits and two RBIs in 45 at-bats, who would have expected Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim to be playing as well as he has in the first half?

He refused to go the the minor leagues and hardly got off the bench early in the year. But now, after 130 at-bats, Kim is batting .338/.423/.477 with nine doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs. Suddenly, his two-year deal for $7 million seems like a bargain.

Kim came to the Orioles with a strong resume from his time playing in the Korean Baseball Organization. Kim, who turned 28 in January, was a career .318/.406/.488 hitter in 10 seasons there. He hit over .300 seven times in the last eight years. He won the 2008 batting title in the KBO when he hit .357. Over the last three years, starting with 2013, he batted .302, .322 and .326.

In addition to that, Kim was among the walks leaders in the KBO several times and walked more than he struck out six times in the last eight years. He came to Baltimore as a player that produced an OBP of .438 last season and .406 for his career.

During the Orioles' series in Seattle I asked Adam Jones about Kim. Jones said there was a rush to judgment on Kim and it was a judgment that was not an accurate one.

"I don't know if he improved his game or if he's doing what he's been doing for eight or nine years," Jones said. "We just, as the American crowd, had not seen what he's capable of. I'm sure he's not surprised by what he's doing because he's a professional and he knows what he is capable of.

"I just think we all got caught up too much in why is he making our team when he had a bad spring as opposed to looking at how can he help us. Right now, I'm pretty sure a lot of people are eating their words on their pointless opinions on him.

"He's a professional. I trust a professional's heart and work dedication over people that have never done it. It was just a matter of time before he got himself comfortable."

Manager Buck Showalter said often during spring training that Orioles players would "make Kim's path easier." In other words, they would do everything they could to make him feel comfortable in the clubhouse and good about being an Oriole. Jones said that indeed did happen.

"We're a very easy to get along team. We have good veterans and good younger players," he said. "This is an easy team for someone to come into and fit in. We've made him welcome from day one. That is just the kind of people we are."

Kim has suddenly become a player that many fans think should play every game. In four games on this road trip, he is 6-for-15 with two homers and five RBIs.

Should Kim be starting every game night now?