The first candidate to be selected
Kim Ha-sung (29, San Diego), who has emerged as a rock star of the San Diego fans and is now the most notable center infielder in the league, received much attention as to whether he will play in the All-Star Game last year. His performance was getting better and better. His performance was comparable to that of San Diego’s “Big Four” (Manny Machadoan Sotofernando Tatis Jr. Xander Bogaerts).
In fact, Kim Ha-sung’s contribution to victory (WAR) compared to his replacement was one of the highest in the San Diego team, and was one of the top players in the All-Star selection league. Due to his poor team performance and weak nomination, it is difficult to vote for fans, but it is expected that there is a possibility that the team will recommend coaches who distribute them to some extent. In conclusion, unfortunately, there was no honor to play in the All-Star game.
I was a little disappointed in his performance in April, the beginning of this season. Kim recorded an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.808 in 24 games in May, and an OPS of 0.844 in 27 games in June. He was literally an “all-star” player. It was also in June when the San Diego Padres started using Kim as the leadoff after seeing his outstanding offensive performance. In July, when the All-Star Game was held, he exploded with a batting average of 0.337, a on-base percentage of 0.449, a slugging percentage of 0.551, and an OPS of 0.999 in 24 games.
Had he continued his stellar performance since April, he might have remained an All-Star. It was a shame when he started to explode. This is why expectations are high this year. If he can display his batting performance in the second half of last year from early this year, he will achieve performance that will not be lagging far behind any other shortstop in the league. A total of four Korean All-Stars players including Park Chan-ho, Kim Byung-hyun, Choo Shin-soo and Ryu Hyun-jin have experienced.
The U.S. sports media “Blitzer Report” also drew attention on the 10th (Korea time) by mentioning Kim Ha-sung as one of the 15 candidates who are likely to be selected as the first All-Star this year. The media noted this year’s performance, saying that Kim Ha-sung is still underrated and disadvantaged in the All-Star selection, but his skills and performance themselves deserve to be an All-Star.
“Blitzer Report” asked, “Is there a player who is more underrated than Kim Ha-sung in baseball?” and evaluated, “The 28-year-old player has improved sharply by playing in the first three seasons since coming from the KBO League, and has spent two consecutive seasons or more with the San Diego Padres.” This is not always the case, but players with WAR 5 or higher are generally classified as All-Star, and 7-8 or higher are classified as performances that can challenge for MVP.
“Blitzer Report” highly valued Kim Ha-sung’s value, saying, “His improved walk rate (8.8% in 2022 → 12% in 2023) and his more aggressive base running (12 stolen bases in 2022 → 38 stolen bases in 2023) helped raise his attack value to the next level, and he also played outstanding defense throughout the San Diego infield and hit a career-high 17 home runs.”
The media then said, “The Padres moved Xander Bogaerts, who gave a total of $280 million for 11 years, to second base in a season, giving Kim Ha-sung the starting shortstop position. We highly value his defense,” stressing that Kim Ha-sung is positioned as an all-around player with both offense and defense.
Kim Ha-sung is already being treated as a superstar in San Diego. At Petco Park, there is a constant slogan of “Ha-sung Kim” whenever Kim Ha-sung enters the batter’s box. Although his attack is not very explosive, fans recognize the value of Kim Ha-sung, who has a lot of energy and does his best, and plays an outstanding role as an indispensable housekeeper in the team. Such scenes have been broadcasted several times across the U.S., and as he has been mentioned a lot in the Gold Glove Award, FA prospects, and grades in 2023, he is expected to make his first All-Star appearance in 2024.