Ha-Sung Kim, 28, has become an irreplaceable force for the San Diego Padres. When he was signed two years ago, he was questioned as a redundant signing, but now he has been elevated to the status of an indispensable player 메이저사이트.
The East Village Times, a local San Diego newspaper, published an article titled “Beloved Defensive Wizard” on Tuesday (July 10), saying, “Kim is proving to be a valuable member of San Diego. Now the entire baseball world is paying attention to him. In the same game against the Colorado Rockies, Kim played second base and made a great catch in the seventh inning, tossing Charlie Blackmon’s slow grounder to first base with his glove for the out.
‘When San Diego signed Kim ahead of the 2021 season, many people questioned why. After all, Kim was a multiple-time All-Star who played shortstop almost full-time in the KBO. San Diego had Fernando Tatis Jr. established at shortstop,” the team explained.
“Kim won the KBO’s Golden Glove for the third straight year from 2018-2020. Now that he’s settled in at the major league level, he’s shining again with his defense at second base. It’s hard to imagine San Diego without him now,” and praised his exceptional defense, noting that his DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) of 15 leads all positions.
“The next closest full-time second baseman is Andres Jimenez (Cleveland-7), who has more than double the DRS of the second baseman. He also has an OAA (Out Above Average) of 7, which is in the top 2% and leads all second basemen. His 1.8 Defensive WAR also leads the league, making him one of the best defenders in every category. San Diego has benefited from his next-level defense on multiple occasions.
The outlet continued, “Kim has always had a question mark attached to his bat. In 2021, he was league average with a .622 OPS and 73 adjusted OPS in his first year, but he became very valuable as he became an average hitter with Gold Glove-level defense. His WAR is 10th among all players. Since 2022, he’s hit .712 with a 2.5 OPS and an adjusted OPS of 106 in 208 games,” noting the improvement at the plate.
Furthermore, the media outlet said, “If Kim keeps this up, it won’t be a matter of winning a Gold Glove, but a National League Platinum Glove. The award is voted on by fans, and Kim is almost a cult hero to San Diego fans. His hard work ethic, solid defense, powerful swing for his small stature, and infectious smile have won the hearts and minds of fans,” said the article.
The publication concluded by saying, “Fans outside of San Diego need to get on board if Kim is to win the Platinum Glove he deserves. There’s no reason why Nolan Arenado (St. Louis), with a DRS of -1 and a dWAR of 0.0, shouldn’t win this award again. One of the best third base defenders in the majors, Arenado won the National League Platinum Glove for six straight years from 2017-2022.
Presented by Rawlings, the Platinum Glove is awarded to the top defensive player in each of the two major leagues who has won a Gold Glove since 2011. Unlike the Gold Glove, which is awarded to a player at each position based on a combination of 75% of managers’ and coaches’ votes and 25% of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) defensive metrics, the Platinum Glove is based on a combination of fan votes and SABR metrics.