“He was the best all-rounder.”
With the regular season schedule all over and the postseason underway, ‘MLB.com’ took the time to conclude the San Diego Padres’ 2023 season on the 6th (Korean time). Kim Ha-seong, who showed his best performance after entering the major league, was not left out.
Prior to the 2021 season, he signed a 4+1 year contract with San Diego worth a total of $39 million (approximately 52.5 billion won) through the ‘posting’ system and entered the major league stage. His performance in his first season was clearly disappointing. Ha-seong Kim had a hard time adjusting to the fastballs of big league players and only recorded 54 hits, 8 home runs, 34 RBIs, 27 runs, and a batting average of 0.202 and an OPS of 0.622 in 117 games.
However, Ha-seong Kim’s position in the 2022 season has completely changed. It was different from his first season, when he was mainly used as a defender and pinch runner. Ha-seong Kim began to be appointed as a starting player after Fernando Tatis Jr. underwent wrist surgery and was suspended for taking banned substances. He appeared in 150 games and recorded 130 hits, 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, 58 runs, 12 stolen bases, a batting average of 0.251, and an OPS of 0.708. He showed remarkable growth.
As can be seen from his numbers, Kim Ha-seong showed great improvement in attack power and reached the peak in defense power. Ha-Seong Kim had the pleasure of being selected as a final candidate for the National League Gold Glove Award in the shortstop category by showing a solid performance as well as an incredible defense worthy of being featured in the highlight. Kim Ha-seong quickly rose to become a starting player as he improved in offense and showed top-level performance in the major leagues in defense.
This year was the best year. Ha-seong Kim moved from shortstop to second base with the recruitment of Xander Bogaerts, but his defensive ability remained the same, and at the plate, he appeared in 152 games and recorded 140 hits, 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 84 runs, 38 stolen bases, a batting average of 0.260, and an OPS of 0.749. The only regret is that he was unable to create a record in major league history due to injuries and poor performance at the end of the season.
This year, Ha-seong Kim aimed to become the first Asian major leaguer and infielder to join the 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases club, following Choo Shin-soo (currently SSG Landers) and Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels). He piled up a ton of stolen bases in the second half of the season and seemed likely to become the first player in history to reach 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases. However, due to a combination of abdominal pain and sluggishness of unknown cause, the season ended without creating a record.
But it was clear that it was a stellar season for him. Although San Diego did not make it to the postseason stage, ‘MLB.com’ did not ignore this performance. Looking back on San Diego’s season, the media selected Kim Ha-seong as the player who achieved the ‘best development’. It seems to be improving and improving every year, but MLB.com’s view is that it has grown more this year than last year.
‘MLB.com’ said, “Ha-Sung Kim was the player who gave the team 5 more wins this year. Considering San Diego’s batting lineup full of superstars, Ha-Sung Kim’s performance should have been the ‘icing on the cake’ for San Diego’s offensive power this year.” opened. i.e. Manny Machado, Juan Soto,
However, this year, San Diego메이저사이트 failed to advance to the postseason stage. With the end of the regular season imminent, they ran on a winning streak, but had to be satisfied with finishing the season with 82 wins, 80 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.506. Considering the amount of money spent to strengthen power ahead of this season, San Diego should have advanced to the postseason stage. Nevertheless, Ha-seong Kim’s performance shone.
‘MLB.com’ continued, “However, Ha-seong Kim was the best all-rounder in San Diego. Defensively, he did everything at second base, shortstop, and third base,” and added, “Ha-seong Kim performed brilliantly in the leadoff position for four months, and suffered a sluggish performance.” “Despite the finish, he finished the season with a batting slash line of .260/.351/.398.”
Ha-seong Kim, who finished this season brilliantly, will complete his schedule in the United States on the 11th and make his ‘golden return’ to prepare for the 2024 season. Kim Ha-seong improves every year, which is why I look forward to next year more than this year.