It seems that the batting average and number of home runs could not contain the full value of Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres). Ha-seong Kim was selected as the best second baseman in the National League in a vote by Major League Baseball (MLB) officials.
Baseball America (BA), an American baseball media outlet that mainly covers players’ scouting reports, selected players with the best tools through a vote by MLB managers, scouts, and officials on the 7th (Korean time). Tool is a term that organizes the skills and talents of baseball players by category. For batters, it is divided into batting, power, base running, defense, and throwing.
Among them, Kim Ha-seong was selected as first in the National League second baseman defense category. This is the result of beating top second basemen such as Nico Horner (Chicago Cubs) and Ozzie Alvis (Atlanta Braves).
Ha-seong Kim, who signed with the San Diego Padres through a posting process in 2021, has solidified his position as a starting infielder by improving both offense and defense this year, his third year in MLB. In particular, he has outstanding offense, recording 17 home runs and 31 stolen bases, but is considered top-notch in defense. Last year, he was already ranked third in the finals for the National League Gold Glove shortstop category, and this year he moved to second base and is considered one of the leading candidates for the Gold Glove award.토토사이트
Kim Ha-seong’s defensive ability, which experts have confirmed with his own eyes, is also revealed in his records. Ha-Seong Kim ranked 8th in the league in OAA (out creation ability relative to average), which is based on batted ball data, with +5 (0 is the league average). He also ranks 5th overall among second basemen (+8) in DRS (Defensive Run Prevention Contribution).
Competitiveness is sufficient. What remains is the result. If he wins the Gold Glove, which he was only a finalist for last year, he could become the first Asian infielder. In the outfielder category, Ichiro Suzuki, already considered a legend, won the award for 10 consecutive years from 2001 to 2010, but no infielder has achieved it yet. So, there was a prejudice among fans that ‘Asian infielders don’t work’, but Ha-seong Kim is proudly breaking this.