The value of Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres) is soaring. Local American media ran a special article on Kim Ha-seong, shedding light on his various aspects.스포츠토토
The American media outlet The Athletic published a special article on the 9th (Korean time) saying, “Padres’ Kim Ha-seong is an inspiration to the next generation of Korean players.”
Even ‘Korean Express’ Park Chan-ho was summoned. The media introduced the influence of Park Chan-ho, a Korean major league pioneer, on Korean baseball. He then noted that the flow was connected to Kim Ha-seong.
San Diego native Park Chan-ho also told an anecdote about visiting his former team’s home stadium and watching Kim Ha-sung’s at-bat with satisfaction. San Diego fans cheered Ha-sung Kim passionately, and Chan-ho Park said he witnessed the scene clearly. The media said, “The packed crowd chanted Kim Ha-seong’s name,” and “It was like this all summer at Petco Park.”
The media said, “Kim Ha-seong is one of the most valuable players in MLB,” and “according to Fangraphs, he has provided more wins than all but 13 players. He has 17 home runs and 31 stolen bases (currently 34 stolen bases).” “This is the highest ever for a Korean big leaguer, and since June 22, he has been recording a batting average of 0.290. This is the highest batting average in San Diego during this period.”
High marks were also given to his versatility. “Kim Ha-seong excels at second base, but he also plays third base and shortstop. This season, Kim Ha-seong could become the first Korean player to win the Gold Glove. Last year, he was also a finalist for the National League (shortstop),” he explained.
Ha-seong Kim’s performance during his time in Korea was also highlighted. He even told the story of Jake Brigham, a pitcher from the Atlanta Braves who played with him in the KBO League. “Kim Ha-sung always led players who were older than him,” he said. “In Asia, that’s not always allowed. There’s respect. But he’s always been a great and respected player, so age doesn’t matter.” .
Citing another official’s remarks, he said that the word that reminds him of Kim Ha-seong’s life in the KBO League is ‘surprise.’ It was also mentioned that Ha-seong Kim won the Golden Glove for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020, the season before entering the big league.
He also shared an anecdote about how he dreamed of playing in the big leagues and asked many questions to Brigham and Park Byeong-ho, who had already experienced MLB. “As time went on, he would ask me, ‘Jake, how do I adjust to MLB?’” Brigham said.
Kim Ha-seong’s quick adaptation to the big league was also praised. The media reported, “After advancing to the big leagues, he adapted to the new defensive tempo in the spring camp of the first season.”
There were difficult moments. Ha-seong Kim, who finished his first season with a batting average of 0.202, said, “There were moments in my life when I was at the lowest point mentally,” and “I thought I didn’t belong here and might have to go back to Korea.”
However, he did not give up and said, “Let’s challenge ourselves and see what happens,” and eventually became successful.
The media shed light on Kim Ha-sung’s development last season and his outstanding performance this season, saying, “Experts were right in saying that Ha-sung Kim needed one or two seasons to sharpen his swing.” He also introduced a multiple on-base record of 15 consecutive games.
He was also compared to ‘Korean Monster’ Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays). The media said, “Ryu Hyun-jin is still the most popular Korean major leaguer, but he only plays once a week. The excitement triggered by a strikeout cannot be compared to the thrill of a home run or a quick hit. Ha-seong Kim has these two skills this season.” “We delivered a lot,” he said.
The media, which reported that Kim Ha-seong is becoming a pioneer, once again quoted his remarks. Ha-seong Kim said, “There are many good players and young talents in Korea. That motivated me to work harder and received more attention from many MLB scouts. I hope that younger players can dream of advancing to the big leagues.” “There is,” he said.