San Diego Padres Kim Ha-seong’s stock price is high.
Now he has become an indispensable player in San Diego. Ha-seong Kim recorded 1 hit, 1 walk, and 2 stolen bases in 3 at-bats in the home game against the San Francisco Giants held at Petco Park on the 4th (Korean time). He achieved his 30th stolen base of the season in the bottom of the first inning, and then his 31st base in the bottom of the 4th inning.
He was the first Korean major leaguer to reach 30 stolen bases.
Ha-Seong Kim’s batting performance this season is outstanding. This season, he has a batting average of .275, 126 hits in 459 at-bats, 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, 77 runs, and 31 stolen bases. He has an on-base percentage of 0.365, a slugging percentage of 0.429, and an OPS of 0.794.
It’s definitely different than before. In 2021, when he debuted in the major leagues, Ha-seong Kim played in 117 games and recorded a batting average of .202 (54 hits in 267 at-bats), 8 home runs, 34 RBI, 27 runs, and an OPS of 0.622. Last year, he played in 150 games and had a batting average of .205. His overall batting indicators were good, with 1 league (130 hits in 517 at-bats), 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, 58 runs, and an OPS of 0.708. And he is showing more advanced batting this season.
When Ha-Seong Kim entered San Diego with a four-year, $28 million contract, Korean fans expected him to hit well in the major leagues.
Ha-seong Kim was an offensive shortstop with a career batting average of .294, 133 home runs, 575 RBI, and 134 stolen bases over a 7-year period from 2014 to 2020 in the KBO League. In 2020, just before entering the major leagues, he posted a batting average of .306, 30 home runs, and 109 RBI. He left for the United States after receiving the Golden Glove Award as a shortstop for three consecutive years since 2018.
However, Ha-Seong Kim needed to adapt to the major league. He had to hit a fastball much faster than in Korea, and he had to deal with the major league’s killer schedule, which required traveling by plane and adjusting to jet lag.
Since his batting average in the first year was only .202, not only domestic fans but also the San Diego team may have been dissatisfied. The driving force behind Kim Ha-seong’s ability to withstand poor batting was his defense.
In the KBO League, the defensive ability that was hidden from batting was revealed in the Major League. His hustle play, whether at shortstop, third base, or second base, made fans fall in love with Kim Ha-seong even though his batting was not good. Last year, he was even nominated for a Gold Glove, proving that his defensive ability was top-tier in the major leagues.
In the meantime, he adapted to the major leagues and his batting performance improved. He hit 17 home runs and became the second Korean major leaguer after Choo Shin-soo to achieve the ’20 (home runs) -20 (stealed bases) club’ with only three home runs remaining.
Ha-Sung Kim’s success story in the major league can also be a great lesson for rookies in the KBO League. Among the new players joining the team, there are many players with excellent hitting skills. However, players who are good at defense are rare. He joined the team as a ‘batting one-tool’ and tried to win games with just hitting, but there were many prospects who eventually failed to succeed in the KBO league and left in vain. Since his defense is not good, he cannot play if his batting is not good. He hit well in the second team, so even if he comes to the first team, he can only play as a pinch hitter. His defense is not good, so even if he hits once, he is often replaced during the next defense. If the baserunner is not fast enough, he may only hit a hit and be immediately replaced by a pinch runner.
A player who is only good at batting will soon be downgraded to the second team if he fails to take advantage of the few pinch-hit opportunities he has. On the other hand, players with good defense often remain in the first team for a long time because they can play major defense.카지노사이트
In the case of Shin Min-jae of the LG Twins, while playing as a pinch runner and defensive back, he gradually got opportunities to hit, and after getting a chance to start due to an injury to his starting pitcher, he showed off his batting ability and quickly earned the starting position as second baseman.
For many promising players with good hitting skills, Kim Ha-seong’s growth process is definitely worth reference.