Kim Ha-seong is having the best season since advancing to the big leagues, but the coach raised the white flag.
San Diego lost 4-5 in an away game against the 2023 Major League Baseball St. Louis Cardinals held at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on the 31st (hereinafter Korean time).
Although the team lost, Kim Ha-seong, who started as second baseman and first batter, hit from the first at-bat and became the team’s first runner. In the second inning, he hit a timely hit that ran further.
He went 4-for-4 with 2 hits, 1 RBI and 1 run. He is on a three-game hitting streak. He is showing a good hitting feeling with 5 hits and 2 RBIs in 3 games.
He is having his best season since his big league debut in 2021. Kim Ha-seong, who recorded a batting average of 2021, 8 home runs, and 34 RBIs in 117 games in 2021, which was overwhelming with competition for the starting pitcher.
The defensive power was beginning to be recognized, but results were needed at the plate. Last season, Kim Ha-seong was also one of the three finalists for the Gold Glove in the National League shortstop category. NC Dinos main infielder Park Min-woo, who also worked together in the Korean baseball team for his performance, cheered for Kim Ha-sung’s success, saying, “He is a really good mental player.”
This year, the offensive side is also showing prominence. Park Min-woo said, “It’s great. He had excellent results in the KBO league, and even went to the major leagues to become a recognized player,” he applauded.
Ha-seong Kim was rated as the shortstop with the best balance of offense and defense with a batting average of 30% (.306) and 30 homers and 109 RBIs in the last season of the KBO (2020). It was a question mark whether he would work in the big leagues, but he made it an exclamation mark this year.
Kim Ha-seong showed his presence with a batting average of .251, 11 home runs and 59 RBIs in 150 games last season. He has a batting average of .370, 17 home runs, 51 runs batted in, .809 OPS, .27, 8 runs, and .809 batting average in 129 games through the 31st this season.
On the team, he is 2nd in OPS, 2nd on base percentage, 1st in batting average, 5th in home runs, and 4th in RBI. In addition, he has the most stolen bases with 29. Recognized like this, he is playing the role of ‘attack advance guard’ as San Diego’s No. 1 hitter.
It’s to the point where it’s getting more attention than fellow Xander Bogarts, who boasts a ransom of 280 million dollars (about 372.9 billion won). However, the team is not performing well. They are 4th in the National League West with a 62-72 record and a .463 winning percentage.
Fall baseball is a difficult situation. They are 7.5 games behind in the wild card race. MLB.com said, “The winning rate has fallen below 50%. With 28 games remaining, we are behind the wild card spot by 7.5 games,” he said.
Even the director seems to be holding a white flag. Of course, this is not an easy situation. However, the players show their will and want to play the game. Hader, who was even hit with a walk-off home run, said, “Whether it goes your way or not, you shouldn’t stop fighting. He never quits. We will do it until the end.” However, San Diego coach Bob Melvin couldn’t control his emotions, saying, “It’s getting more and more difficult,” and “I’m disappointed in everyone.”
By: 안전놀이터