San Diego Padres infielder Ha Sung Kim, 28, has been recognized for his performance this season.
On Thursday, MLB.com recognized the players who made the biggest leaps for each of Major League Baseball’s 30 clubs this season, and San Diego’s Ha Sung Kim was one of them.
It’s no surprise, given the dramatic improvement he’s shown this season.
As MLB.com notes, “It’s no secret that Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves) and Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) are in the thick of the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) race. Matt Olson (Atlanta) and Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) are right behind them, but guess who is fifth in the NL in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to Baseball-Reference, and it’s Kim Ha-Sung, who has stood out in the midst of a poor team performance.”
Kim was the team’s starting center fielder again this season, playing all over the infield. He has improved his batting, which stood out as a weakness last year, and added to his value.
He has 17 home runs and 35 RBIs as of May 15, needing just three more home runs to become the first Asian infielder to join the 20-homer, 20-RBI club. He’s on track to reach 20 HRs and 40 RBIs.
His 5.7 WAR per Baseball Reference also ranks fifth in the National League behind Betts (8.1), Acuña Jr. (7.6), Olson (6.4), and Freeman (6.2). It’s also 10th in all of MLB.
While his pace has slowed a bit in September, his season-long performance has impressed more than just his team, but the entire MLB.
“Kim has developed into an elite leadoff hitter, ranking second in pitches per at-bat, with a .358 on-base percentage and 35 stolen bases,” said MLB.com. “Defensively, there is no better player in San Diego than Kim. “Defensively, there is no better player in San Diego than Ha-Sung Kim. He played second base, shortstop and third base to fill in the gaps left by injuries to his teammates, and he played wherever they needed him,” he said.
안전놀이터 The team will have one day off on April 15 before returning to action on April 16 for a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics.