San Diego Padres Kim Ha-seong (28) successfully completed his third major league season. He showed further improvement not only in defense and base running, but also in batting, and was recognized as a key resource for the team.
Ha-seong Kim played as a backup infielder in 2021, his first year in the big league, and was loved by fans for his stable defense and unselfish play. He had a batting average of .202 (54 hits in 267 at-bats), 8 home runs, 34 RBI, and 6 stolen bases in 117 games. Last year, Fernando Tatis Jr. missed the entire season and took over as the starting shortstop, recording a soft landing in토토사이트 the big leagues with a batting average of 0.251, 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in 150 games. He was also named among the three finalists for the Gold Glove National League shortstop category.
He went one step further this season. Ahead of the season, there were many expectations that San Diego’s position would be shaken with the signing of star shortstop Xander Bogaerts, but Ha-seong Kim played as a built-in second baseman and showed off his presence not only in defense but also in base running and offense. He had a batting average of .260 (140 hits in 538 at-bats), 17 home runs, 60 RBI, and 38 stolen bases in 152 games.
Although he failed to become the first Asian infielder to join the club with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, he recorded a ‘career high’ in all batting indicators. He played all infield positions except first base, including second baseman (856.2 innings), third baseman (253.1 innings), and shortstop (153.1 innings), and played his part whenever the team needed it. Analysis suggests that he deserves another shot at winning the Gold Glove award thanks to his stability as a second baseman, recording a fielding percentage of 0.991.
In particular, the 38 stolen bases that Ha-seong Kim recorded this season is the most stolen bases by a Korean big leaguer in a single season, surpassing the 22 stolen bases by Shin-soo Choo (SSG Landers) in 2010 when he played for the Cleveland Indians (now the Cleveland Guardians). Ha-seong Kim’s excellent base running sense was enough to harass the opposing battery. According to FanGraphs.com, a major league statistics website, his contribution to victory over replacement (WAR) is 4.4, which is not unrelated to the fact that he ranks second on the team after Juan Soto (5.5).