“Ha-seong Kim exploded his golf swing.”
Ha-seong Kim’s (San Diego Padres) home run, the second of the season, can be taken as a sign that he has fully adapted to the major leagues. Kim Ha-seong started as a second baseman in the 2023 away game against the Atlanta Braves in the Major League Baseball held on the 10th (hereinafter Korean time) at True Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2 hits in 4 at-bats (1 home run), 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 point did.
The second home run of the season came out astonishingly. In the top of the 5th inning, with a lead of 6-0, with one out and 3rd base chance, he drew a left-handed two-run arch with a ball count 2B2S and a 76-mile sweeper with 5 pitches to left-hander Lucas Lucas. On this day, Kim Ha-seong also added a double and raised his season batting average to 0.281.
MLB.com wrote on Twitter, “Ha-sung Kim exploded his golf swing.” A real sweeper is a type of breaking ball that has been transformed from a slider, and has the character of moving left and right. On the other hand, there is less up and down movement compared to sliders.
The actual route sweeper also ran from the right to the left. It even left the strike zone and drew a trajectory that seemed to be driven into the ground. The most difficult trajectory for a right-handed hitter to target. However, Ha-seong Kim showed a response reminiscent of a golf swing. He extended his arm, lowered his bat, and gently scooped it over the fence to his left.
Kim Ha-seong was also a shortstop in the KBO league with both precision and long hitting power. However, it is true that he has solidified his image as a defensive multi-infielder over the past two years in the major leagues. It is not easy for Kim Ha-seong to show the batting productivity of the KBO League days in the major leagues because there is a big difference in velocity and quality of each pitch.
However, Ha-seong Kim has already shown signs of being different in the 2022 season, and although it is early this season, he is cruising in his own way. 9 hits in 32 at-bats in 9 games, batting average 0.281, 2 homers, 4 RBIs, 4 runs, OPS 0.937. Comparison and evaluation are meaningless at this point, but he ranks 9th in overall batting average and 7th in OPS among second basemen in the major leagues. If you narrow the scope to the National League, it is 5th in the overall batting average of second basemen and 3rd in OPS. Just looking at San Diego, the only players with a higher average than Ha-sung Kim until today are Xander Bogarts with 0.324 and Manny Machado with 0.308. It is not awkward at all that Kim Ha-seong is placed in the 6th batting order. 먹튀검증
Apart from the recent aggressive moves in the free agent market, the San Diego leadership generously extends the contract. Looking back on the last two years, Joe Musgrove ($100 million in 5 years), Manny Machado ($350 million in 11 years), You Darvish ($108 million in 6 years), Jake Cronenworth (7 years, $80 million) $10,000) signed a long-term contract with the club.