The San Diego Padres’ Ha-Sung Kim, 28, had a successful third season in the major leagues. In addition to his defense and baserunning, he showed improvement at the plate, making him a key asset to the team.
In his first year in the big leagues, Kim served as a backup infielder in 2021 and became a fan favorite for his steady defense and unselfish play. In 117 games, he batted .202 (54-for-267) with eight home runs, 34 RBIs, and six doubles. Last year, Fernando Tatis Jr. broke into the big leagues with a full season at shortstop, batting .251 with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 150 games. He was also named one of three finalists for the Gold Glove National League Shortstop Award.
This season, he took it up a notch. With San Diego’s acquisition of star shortstop Xander Bogaerts prior to the season, there was little doubt that his position would be shaken up, but Kim was a solid presence at second base, not only defensively but also on the basepaths and offensively. In 152 games, he batted .260 (140-for-538) with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases.
While he fell just short of becoming the first Asian infielder to join the 20-homer, 20-steal club, he set “career highs” in every hitting metric. He played every position in the infield except first base, including second base (856.2 innings), third base (253.1 innings), and shortstop (153.1 innings), filling in whenever the team needed him. His stability at second base, where he posted a .991 fielding percentage, makes him a worthy candidate for another Gold Glove award.카지노사이트
Notably, Kim’s 38 stolen bases this season are the most by a Korean big leaguer in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 22 set by Choo Shin-soo (SSG Landers) in 2010 when he played for the Cleveland Indians (now the Cleveland Guardians). Kim’s excellent on-base skills have been enough to make life difficult for opposing batters. His 4.4 wins above replacement (WAR) per FanGraphs.com is second on the team behind Juan Soto (5.5).