Currently leads San Diego and ranks 9th in the NL in batting average.
Second overall in WAR, behind only Ohtani
Known around the country as a complete specialist infielder with an offensive game
Going 3-for-20 would be a great feat, surpassing Ryu’s ERA mark
Big free agent Zander Bogaerts slumps… US media “KIM saved manager Preller”
Kim Ha-seong is on his way to becoming the best infielder in Korean history. (Photo = Yonhap)
토스카지노Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) is bombing the National League. He has become a symbol of the Hotazuns: a good hitter, a good runner, and a good catcher.
While we’ve seen outfielders like Shin-Soo Choo go 20-20 and earn big contracts, we’ve never seen an infielder do this, which makes Kim’s performance all the more welcome.
A whopping 27 stolen bases, ninth in the NL. Major League Bombing… 2nd overall in WAR
Kim leads the San Diego team in batting average. (Photo = Yonhap)
Kim Ha-seong batted first and second in the lineup against the visiting Seattle Mariners of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Tuesday (10 June), going 1-for-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and two stolen bases. He also stole three bases. He reached base in 15 consecutive games and started a new streak of multi-hit games (two or more in a game), which was broken the day before. Kim increased his season stolen base total to 27.
He now has a .288 batting average. His WAR is a staggering 5.9, good for ninth in the NL. Not only is it the best on the team, it’s the best in the league. Currently, there are only five hitters in the National League who can triple. If he gets in, he’ll be the first Korean to ever hit triple digits, and he’ll be the best infielder in the game. Add to that the fact that he’s also a recognised defensive player, having been mentioned as a Gold Glove candidate last year, and you’ve got a recipe for a big contract and a huge reputation in Korea.
He currently ranks ninth in the NL in batting average. If he manages to hit .300, he will make history as much as Ryu Hyun-jin’s ERA (Photo: Yonhap)
His current batting average is .288, which is good enough for the remaining 47 games (Photo: Yonhap)
His Wins Above Replacement (WAR), as measured by baseball stats site Baseball-Reference.com, is 5.9, which ranks second among all MLB players. Only two-hit superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels – 9.0) has a higher WAR than Kim. Kim’s salary this year is $7 million, less than one-third of the team’s highest paid player, Bogart.
Kim has 15 home runs this season and an OPS of 0.835 (0.384 slugging percentage + 0.451 on-base percentage). The 27 stolen bases are a bonus. If he hits five more home runs, he’ll become the second Korean to join the 20-20 club after Choo Shin-Soo. However, Kim is even more valuable than Shin-Soo Choo because he is a keystone infielder. Add to that the value of 20-30 in a pitching-heavy situation like we’ve seen this season, and you’ve got a different kind of value. San Diego currently has 47 games remaining. Kim’s bat is not resting at this point.
“The man who saved the San Diego Padres from ruin was Kim Ha-seong.”
San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller’s aggressive signings have not been well-received. Most notably, Zander Bogaerts. But Ha Sung Kim is turning his reputation around. (Photo: Yonhap)
That’s not all. He’s even improving the ratings of San Diego general manager A.J. Preller, who spearheaded his recruitment. The Athletic, an online sports publication in the United States, published an article on the 11th (KST) in which it answered questions from readers, highlighting Kim’s performance and also evaluating Freller.
In response to a reader’s question about Kim’s performance, the publication said, “The best thing he did was to acquire Kim.” “There’s a good chance the Padres will try to sign him to a long-term deal,” he said, adding, “Juan Soto, Blake Snell, and Josh Hader are all players the Padres could sign long-term, but I don’t think Kim will demand as much money as those guys.”
[San Diego=AP/News] Bogaerts has pushed Ha-Sung Kim out of the starting shortstop role, but he is batting just .265 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs.
Preller’s aggressive approach to signing players hasn’t been well received on the field. Key free agent acquisitions at an astronomical cost have underperformed. Most notably, San Diego signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal ahead of the season, which was criticised as a “waste of money”. Another fan asked, “Why did the Padres sign Bogaerts when they had quality shortstops like Ha-Sung Kim and Fernando Tatis Jr. They could have used that money to sign Soto to an extension, for example?
Kim has become a versatile infielder who can play either shortstop or second base while also excelling in defence. (Photo = Yonhap)
Bogaerts, who will make $25 million this year, has pushed Kim into the starting shortstop role, but he’s had mediocre numbers with a .265 batting average, 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. Against this backdrop, Kim Ha-seong, who was not expected to do much within the team, has turned in one of the best performances in the league, making him the crowning achievement of the desperate Freller. He literally saved the day. If he hadn’t, he would have been attacked by the media and fans.
Finally, The Athletic reported that “San Diego could pursue a long-term