San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Sung Kim finished the first half of the season with a solid performance at second base.
Kim went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored while batting second in the lineup against the New York Mets on Tuesday at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. Kim finished the first half of the season with a .258 batting average, .760 OPS, 71 hits (10 home runs), 31 RBI, 44 runs scored, 16 stolen bases in 85 games.
According to Baseball-Reference, which provides major league records, Kim’s WAR (wins above replacement) for the season was 4.1, which ranks fifth in the majors. Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels, 6.5), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves, 5.0), Wander Franco (Tampa Bay Rays, 4.3), and Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers, 4.1) are in first place.
The American League’s second-leading home run hitter (26), Luis Robert Jr. was sixth with 4.1, Luis Arajes (Miami Marlins), who is on pace for a quadruple-double with a .383 batting average, was seventh with 3.9, and Kim’s teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. was eighth with 3.9.
This is the first time Kim has finished in the top 10 in WAR since making his major league debut in 2021. Last year, Kim played full-time at shortstop to fill Tatis Jr.’s void, but with the addition of Xander Bogaerts to the team this offseason, he became the starting second baseman.
In 460 innings of defense at second base this year, Kim posted a .996 fielding percentage with just one error. This was the third-best fielding percentage in the entire major leagues among players with at least 200 innings at second base, behind only Tyro Estrada (San Francisco Giants) and Bryce Turan (Milwaukee Brewers). His 2.1 defensive WAR ranks first in the National League. Kim’s steady defense is the key to his high overall WAR, even with an average offense of .258 batting average. 메이저토토사이트
With San Diego’s stellar infield of Tatis Jr. Manny Machado, Bogaerts, and Jake Cronenweth, Kim was considered a trade card from the start, but he has proven himself to be an indispensable resource with the team’s highest win percentage.
After posting double-digit home run and double-digit stolen base totals for the second straight year, Kim already has 16 stolen bases this year. A late-season home run surge could put him in contention for his first 20-homer, 20-steal club in the majors.
What’s scary about Kim is that all of his stats are better in years two and three than they were in year one. His batting average (0.202-0.251-0.258), on-base percentage (0.352-0.381-0.411), and slugging percentage (0.270-0.325-0.349) have all risen significantly, with each year showing career highs.
Kim missed a game against the Mets on the 8th with a toe injury after being thrown out trying to steal third base and then kicking a full bucket of water that he thought was empty, but he shook it off and came back with a two-hit multi-hit game in the final game of the first half on the 10th.