I think there’s a player that should be in there….”
San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin was not pleased when he saw the final roster for the 2023 All-Star Game, which was finalized on Wednesday. San Diego was represented by outfielder Juan Soto and closer Josh Hader. While the two mainstays were recognized as the best players in the National League, Melvin is hungry for more.
Ha-Sung Kim could be the man. Baseball Reference, a major league statistics site, ranks him first on the San Diego team in WAR (wins above replacement). His 4.0 WAR puts him above Fernando Tatis Jr. (3.7), Soto (3.5), and Michael Wacka (1.9).안전놀이터
His position-agnostic defense is the reason for his high WAR. His offense is also above league average. With an OPS+ of 115 (where 100 is the norm), the offense is 15% above average. On March 3 against Cincinnati, he hit his 10th home run of the season. Before the first half was over, he was one away from tying last year’s record of 11.
Kim shared a double play with Manny Machado.
The fan-voted National League All-Star second baseman is Miami’s Luis Araujo, who is on pace for a .400 batting average. Ozzie Albies (Atlanta) was included in the roster as a backup second baseman. Kim was not named to the All-Star team because he was not able to match the power of Albies, who hit 20 home runs.
“I’m disappointed,” Melvin said. “Obviously, I might be a little biased. We’ll see what happens. Sometimes things change and rosters change,” he said, adding that he hopes to see more San Diego players make the All-Star team through alternate starts.
Soto was in a difficult situation at last year’s All-Star Game. He played in the All-Star Game as a member of the Washington Nationals, but was the subject of trade rumors. “(Last year) everyone was talking about trades. I just wanted to enjoy the moment and have a good time, and this time I’m going to take it easy,” he said.
“I want to take my son Lucas to the Home Run Derby, and sharing moments with him is the most important thing,” said Heider.