Kim Ha-sung of the San Diego Padres was praised for his “super elite second base defense.”

On the 8th (Korea Standard Time), the U.S. media “Featureist” evaluated Kim Ha-sung, who is playing well this season, under the title “Is Kim Ha-sung a superstar?”

The media said, “If you look through the baseball reference WAR rankings of position players this season, you can find something strange. Otani, Acuña, Franco, Robert (all seem normal). And Kim Ha-sung’s name comes out, he said. “He is a third-year infielder from Korea on a team full of superstars. Kim Ha-sung signed with San Diego mainly as a defensive weapon, with 10 home runs and .254/.345/.407 this season. Kim Ha-sung is ranked fifth among position players with 3.8 bWAR as of the 7th. “I’m tied with my teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. and I’m slightly ahead of Juan Soto,” he said.

The media said, “The Korean shortstop had a brilliant season in all aspects last year. In 150 games, he recorded 3.7 fWAR and 5.0 bWAR, always maintaining a steady defense, and found his way as an above-average hitter. This year, Kim Ha-sung is almost outperforming last year’s performance even though he was tasked with transferring positions. How was it possible?”

Kim Ha-sung’s offense has improved compared to last year, and his ability to cope with fastballs, which was his weakness, has also improved. 메이저놀이터 추천 The media said, “Kim Ha-sung was expected to have a weakness when he came from Korea. Outstanding shortstop had to play all infield positions, and there was a high possibility of struggling with fast speed. Entering the Major League from the KBO has often been challenging in that respect. “When I was a rookie, I had a hard time with fastballs, and I couldn’t make much value at bat, and I chased the ball and missed a good ball,” he said.

The media said that Kim Ha-sung did not bat on a bad ball at bat compared to the past two years and this season, and his fast fast ball response improved. “The biggest difference this season is the ability to chase less balls outside the strike zone and fly fastballs,” the media said.

Kim Ha-sung’s swing ratio to the ball outside the strike zone decreased from 26% in the first year and 27.5% last year to 22% this year. The wOBA for fastballs is .301→.332→.352 is getting better every year.

The media said, “He looks like another batter in half a season this year. Kim Ha-sung hit Lewis Ortiz’s 97.3-mile fastball on June 30 to make a home run. It was the fastest home run in his career. “As a batter, it is clear that he is scratching the surface of his ceiling,” he said.

Kim Ha-sung, who is gradually growing in offense, has maintained his top-class defense skills.

The media said, “It may have taken a while for Kim Ha-sung’s offense to improve, but the defense arrived in the Major League with a shining bloodline. The defensive ace played in all three of the infield’s most difficult positions and did it easily. “And this year, I’ve raised it to another level,” he.

San Diego recruited shortstop Xander Bogartz in the offseason, and Kim Ha-sung, who was active as a shortstop last year due to Tatis Jr.’s absence, moved to second baseman. The media said, “Kim Ha-sung is very good as a shortstop, and (position transfer) was an interesting experiment. “We are recording 11 OAA (Outs Above Average).” The 11 OAA are the number one National League defenders.

The media said, “Kim Ha-sung has always been a solid second baseman, but this year he took his play to the next level. Highlights and everyday play had a big impact on second base. Positional movement did not limit his skills, but maximized him and made him a second baseman with super-elite defensive power. Among MLB second baseman this year, Kim Ha-sung’s all-around skills have been put in the middle of the elite group,” he praised.