In his third year in the major leagues, Ha Sung Kim (28, San Diego Padres) has developed into an “underrated player” and an “All-Star caliber player” in the first half of the season.
The first half of the season concluded with a home game against the New York Mets on Oct. 10 (ET). Kim recorded a multi-hit game.
After a successful first half, Kim is now batting .258 with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, 44 runs scored, 71 RBIs, a .349 slugging percentage, and a .760 OPS in 85 games this season.
That’s significant progress on the hitting side. Last season in 2021, his first year in the major leagues, his batting average and OPS were just .202 and .622, respectively.토토사이트
He also hit 11 home runs in the first half of the year alone. That’s a big improvement from his 8-11 homers over the previous two years. A 15-homer season is not out of the question.
Most notably, Kim has shown success against 95+ mph fastballs, which has been one of his biggest weaknesses at the plate.
Add to that his Gold Glove-caliber defense. He can play shortstop or second base, and is among the best in the majors in OAA.
Ha-Sung Kim. Photo by Getty Images Korea
As a result, Kim finished the first half with a BWAR of 4.1 and a FWAR of 3.0. His BWAR was the fourth-best among hitters. His FWAR was also 21st among all hitters.
Kim’s incredible first-half performance was recently called “the most underrated player in baseball” by several American media outlets.
Now, after the All-Star break, Kim will begin the second half of his schedule with a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 15.
With his offensive and defensive improvements, it will be interesting to see if he can continue his strong play in the second half of the season.