Rhys Hoskins, Korean interpreter reunite with the Phillies

PHILADELPHIA – Derrick Chung had a front-row view for perhaps the most anticipated debut by a Phillies prospect this season.

The moment carried extra meaning for Chung, the team’s Korean language interpreter, as he stood in the Phillies’ dugout Thursday at Citizens Bank Park. Rhys Hoskins, one of the Phillies’ top prospects, was his former teammate.

Hoskins and Chung played a season together at California State University at Sacramento in 2012 when they were a freshman and senior, respectively.

STORY: Nearly 160 dogs airlifted into New Castle Airport

They had stayed in touch overs the years via text and following each other's careers online and through social media. Hoskins, still at Triple-A at the time, reached out to Chung after the Phillies acquired South Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim from the Baltimore Orioles on July 28.

Within two weeks of the Phillies acquiring Kim, Chung and Hoskins were again wearing the same uniform.

“There had to be so many things to happen for us to be in the same clubhouse,” Chung said. “I was very fortunate to watch his first Major League game.”

When he debuted last Thursday, Hoskins became the 19th player to reach Major League Baseball out of Sacramento State and the first to appear in a big-league game since 1997.

So, crossing paths with a fellow Hornet is rare in the minor leagues and nearly unheard of in the majors.

“What a coincidence,” said Hoskins, a fifth-round pick of the Phillies in 2014. “He’s a cool guy to have around. It’s another familiar face. I enjoyed my time with him in school.”

Chung recalled Hoskins as a guy who played with an edge and was eager to prove himself during his freshman season at Sacramento State.

Six years later, Chung still remembers a game they played at the University of Pacific where Hoskins went 4 for 5 with two home runs and five RBI. It was the fifth game of Hoskins’ collegiate career.

“I didn’t expect him to be that special that fast,” Chung said. “It was like, 'Alright, that’s Rhys Hoskins.'”

PHILLIES: How Phillies' Aaron Nola is delivering historic run

Chung’s own minor-league career was cut short by injuries.

A 31st-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012, Chung, a catcher who also played second base in college, spent four years in the minors and was a career .274 hitter.

But oblique injuries and a right shoulder injury limited him to 34 games in 2015 and caused him to miss the entire 2016 season.

Hoskins and Chung missed out on playing against each other at High Class A by two weeks in 2015. Hoskins was with the Clearwater Threshers, but Chung had recently been promoted from Dunedin to Double-A, the highest level he’d reach in the minors.

Unlike the team's Spanish interpreter who is in the baseball communications department, Chung is part of the Phillies' field staff. As such, Chung wears Phillies gear and baseball pants, blending in with the coaches and players in the dugout and on the field during batting practice, where he can be found in close proximity to Kim.

He chips in wherever he might be needed. While with the Orioles, he’d often toss flips in the batting cage while on road trips or throw on-field BP if another arm was needed. He would also warm up pitchers because of his experience as a catcher.

STORY: Canal players return to world series 23-years later ​​​​​

“Whatever the team needs, I want to help the team win and be better,” Chung said.

His main job, however, is to serve as the go-between for Kim and the coaching staff and his teammates.

A clause exists in Kim's contract that requires his team to provide an interpreter. The Phillies could have hired their own interpreter, but at the time of the trade, they agreed with the Orioles to hire Chung. The Phillies are responsible for his salary through the end of the season, when Kim’s contract ends.

Chung is in his first season as Kim’s interpreter. Danny Lee, one of Chung’s best friends from high school, held the job last year.

Chung and Lee had worked together in the Instructional League in Arizona. When Lee decided to move on, he asked Chung if he wanted to become Kim’s interpreter.

Growing up in Orange County, California, Chung learned to speak both languages. His parents didn’t speak much English so Chung had to be the interpreter in their home. Chung gained additional experience as a translator during the 2015 offseason with the Kia Tigers in Korea. The team had three to four American coaches on staff, Chung said.

“It was a lot more work since everybody needed some sort of help,” Chung said. “That helped me with this.”

Chung had never met Kim before taking the job, though he had watched on TV when Kim was with the Doosan Bears in the Korean Baseball Organization. Both men are 29.

“It’s been a very strange journey,” Chung said. “I always dreamed playing in the major leagues. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it as a player, but I did make it as an interpreter – it’s crazy.

“It’s been a pleasure with Kim, getting to know him and spend every single second together,” he continued. “It’s been more fun than anything.”

Translating conversations or instructions from English to Korean or vice versa can sometimes be challenging. Chung said it’s difficult to translate word to word between the two languages so understanding what’s being said and then properly conveying the sentiment is important. Being a former professional baseball player has been very helpful for Chung in that regard.

“For me, the toughest part has been sitting back and watching,” Chung said. “I find myself too involved in the game sometimes. I sometimes have to push myself to remember that I’m not playing.”

Chung is embracing the opportunity as a way to expand his knowledge of the game. He’s still figuring out whether he wants to work as an interpreter – whether for Kim or elsewhere – long term.

He loves the sport, though, and hopes to have a career in a front office someday.

“Everything I do I do for a reason and I feel like this is the best way to learn being in a clubhouse and experiencing Major League Baseball,” Chung said.

Contact Meghan Montemurro at mmontemurro@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @M_Montemurro.