“One of the most surprising players of the year,” praised by a U.S. columnist, Kim Ha-seong emerges as a national star

“One of the most surprising players of the year,” praised by a U.S. columnist, Kim Ha-seong emerges as a national star

There are 30 teams in the Major League, and the number of players who play at least one game each year exceeds 1,000. In fact, unless the players are from the same district team that they face frequently, fans often do not know much about them. In 2021, Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego) was such a player.

Only San Diego fans were interested in him, but he was not a player who received national attention. He did not have enough achievements to make his name known nationwide. He had a batting average of 0.202 and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of just 0.622 in 117 games in 2021. He was closer to a backup player who played multiple positions. San Diego had several star players, including Kim Ha-seong.

However, since last year, Kim Ha-sung’s popularity has begun to increase. Fans at Petco Park, who were impressed by Ha-seong Kim’s passionate play, began chanting ‘Ha-seong Kim.’ As Fernando Tatis Jr. missed a season due to injury and drug suspension, Ha-seong Kim’s name began to be mentioned as his replacement, which was a good news for making his name known. He showed off his excellent defense skills and began appearing frequently in local media’s highlight programs.

Many people were surprised that Kim Ha-seong was selected as a final candidate for the National League Gold Glove award for shortstop. In addition to the record, the on-site officials had already acknowledged Ha-seong Kim’s play. Ha-seong Kim finished the season with a clear upward trend in attack, with a batting average of 0.251, 11 home runs, and an OPS of 0.708 in 150 games.

With this year’s results, Kim Ha-seong’s popularity has increased significantly. He is now beginning to be recognized as a ‘second baseman who is good at both defense and offense’ representing the league. As of the 9th (Korean time), Ha-seong Kim has emerged as a key player for the team, recording a batting average of 0.273, an on-base percentage of 0.364, 17 home runs, 57 RBI, 79 runs, 34 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.786 in 137 games this season. His defense is still outstanding. He is a strong candidate for the Gold Glove Award for second basemen in the National League this year.

In order for a player to make a name for himself, his performance must be supported. The higher up he is on personal performance leaderboards that fans frequently look up, the more attention he receives. Kim Ha-seong, who has consistently been at the top in defensive indicators such as DRS and OAA this year, began to rise in offensive indicators as well thanks to his outstanding performance after the middle of the season.

As a result, as of the 9th, Kim Ha-seong’s on-base percentage (.364) ranks 13th in the National League, and stolen bases (34) ranks 5th overall in the National League. Following Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta), Ha-seong Kim is the player whose stolen bases increased the most this year. While San Diego’s performance this year is disappointing, it is also great that the local media is pushing ‘Kim Ha-seong as the MVP of this year’s team.’

Ken Rosenthal, a columnist for the North American sports media outlet ‘The Athletic’ and one of the representative sources, also posted on his Added a column.

Rosenthal is a renowned columnist and national editor with 1.43 million followers. The fact that he is being recognized by Rosenthal is also evidence that Kim Ha-seong is now emerging as a national star. It may have been an opportunity for many people to engrave Kim Ha-seong’s name once again.메이저놀이터

Ha-seong Kim’s performance continued on the 9th. He made a great performance in the game against Houston, the team that won the World Series last year and is aiming to win the American League West Division this year as well, with 3 hits, 3 stolen bases, and 2 RBIs. Ha-seong Kim is the only player in the history of the San Diego team to have more than 3 on base, 3 or more stolen bases, and 2 or more RBIs in one game. Kim Ha-seong’s unique ‘hustle’ was demonstrated with a stormy run.

San Diego’s chances of advancing to the postseason are extremely low. This is a situation where there are literally only arithmetic possibilities. As of the 9th, San Diego’s likelihood of advancing to the postseason, calculated by statistics website ‘FanGraphs’, was 0.8%.

However, Ha-seong Kim is expected to do his best until the end to achieve his personal goals. With interest gathering as to whether he will be able to finish the season with good results, he is expected to once again attract the attention of major league fans over a contract extension after the season. It’s not a bad thing to have your name widely known.