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The Toronto Blue Jays have hired Gil Kim in the role of Director, Player Development.

Kim, 34, spent the past seven seasons in various roles with the Texas Rangers, following a six-year playing career that saw him make stops in the Netherlands, China, Australia, Spain and Venezuela. A product of Vanderbilt University, Kim progressed through the International Scouting department with Texas, reaching Director, International Scouting in November 2013. In his new role, the Potsville, Pennsylvania native will oversee the commitment of Player Development leaders and staff to include each player in the process of creating and realizing their physical, mental and fundamental goals.

polo007 wrote:In his new role, the Potsville, Pennsylvania native will oversee the commitment of Player Development leaders and staff to include each player in the process of creating and realizing their physical, mental and fundamental goals.

This week, the Blue Jays hired Kim away from the Texas Rangers to be their first director of player development. He will oversee the club’s minor-league operation, which includes eight teams in three countries, as well as the staff in various disciplines that shape individual programs for each player in the system.

Kim is only 34, and he admits he was surprised when the Jays sought permission from the Rangers to interview him. But he is no stranger to big challenges. In fact, he tends to seek them out, as he did when he chose to live in that stadium clubhouse instead of the more conventional housing available to players.

“As crazy as it sounds, I learned to feel comfortable there,” he said. “You were there from early in the morning, played a game, and then there were a few hours in the afternoon when I studied Spanish with the clubhouse attendants there, and then you went to sleep. It was an uncomfortable situation that you got comfortable with pretty quickly.”

Shortly after wrapping up his peripatetic playing career in Venezuela, Kim – a Pennsylvania native – took an intern job with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009. Two months later, he jumped at the Rangers’ offer to work as an area scout in Mexico. His fluency in Spanish had quickly become a professional asset, as it would in subsequent assignments, including his most recent job as the Rangers’ director of international scouting.

In the news release announcing Kim’s hiring, the Jays said he “will oversee the commitment of player development leaders and staff to include each player in the process of creating and realizing their physical, mental and fundamental goals.” In declaring Kim an overseer of the commitment of others, it seemed a somewhat unusual mission statement.

Asked what that means, Kim said it’s about accountability, his own included.

“From staff to players and everybody else in the organization, we have a commitment to get better every day,” he said. “Every staff member, ever coach, every player – we need to be held accountable. It’s our responsibility to maximize our potential to help bring a World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s a very important message to get out there.”