“I think there is a good chance that the Padres will seek a transfer if possible before next season.”
Rumors about the trade of Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres), which had been quiet, resurfaced. Dennis Lin, who is in charge of San Diego at The Athletic, posted an article answering questions from San Diego fans on the 11th (hereinafter Korean time).
One fan asked, “Is San Diego considering moving Ha-sung Kim to the utility role and sending Jake Cronenworth back to second base for a more traditional, smashing first baseman?” Then Dennis Lin said, “Ha-seong Kim’s continued struggle with the fastball in the major leagues, at least makes this question worthwhile.”
Kim Ha-seong has 25 hits in 109 at-bats, a batting average of 0.229, 3 home runs, 10 RBIs, and 11 runs in 34 games this season, with an OPS of 0.686. Last year, in 150 games, he showed the possibility of development with a batting average of 0.251, 11 homers, 59 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.708.
In particular, there is a lot of talk about his ability to respond to fastballs. According to Baseball Savant, this year’s fastball batting average is 0.143, which is significantly lower than last year’s 0.264. In May, he came back to life with a batting average of 0.304, but the sluggishness in April was largely reflected. His fastball slugging percentage is also not good, from 0.391 last year to 0.179 this year.
During the recent offseason, Kim Ha-seong goes through individual training with Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes). Last winter, the two of them tried to reduce the time it takes to reach the hitting point by lowering the position of their hands holding the bat near their chest. This is to respond compactly to faster balls. However, Lee Jung-hoo failed in practice and returned to his previous form, and Kim Ha-seong’s April sluggishness should also be seen as an aftermath. 토토사이트
In San Diego, which is aiming to win the World Series, a center infielder with both offense and defense may be greedy. If it’s AJ Preller’s general manager, he might not be satisfied with just Xander Bogatz. Internally, it seems that there are concerns about Kim Ha-sung’s hitting, especially his ability to respond to fastballs. Dennis Lin said, “To alleviate these concerns, Ha-seong Kim must continue to adjust at bat.”
Dennis Lin doesn’t think San Diego won’t trade Kim Ha-sung. Basically, he said, “In a situation where extreme defensive shifts were prohibited, Ha-seong Kim and Cronenworth played a very valuable role on the right side of the infield. Ha-seong Kim ranks first in the major leagues in defensive run saves, and the best option on this list is to keep Ha-sung Kim as the starter.”
“It would be much more valuable for Ha-seong Kim to play as a shortstop. I think there’s a chance that San Diego will seek a transfer before next season if possible. Of course, it’s good that they have Kim Ha-seong, who can appease a large part of the fan base ahead of the tentatively scheduled Seoul series (2024 season against the LA Dodgers in Gocheok, virtually confirmed). In any case, the composition of the roster has been far from ideal.”