Official extinction of Kim Ha-sung's trade, "SD ineffective extension contract, last chance to spend money"...July rebound → $100 million FA hit the jackpot
Jul 02, 2024
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Kim Ha-sung, who is in his fourth season as a member of the San Diego Padres, is finally in July, when he can decide his fate later this year. The match against the Boston Red Sox has already been played at Fenway Park on the 1st (Korea time), but the 2nd is the first day of July in the U.S. local time.
According to the monthly statistics from April to September, Kim Ha-sung, who entered the Major League in 2021, his performance in July is the best. He played in 63 games in July and marked a batting average of 0.304, seven home runs, 26 RBIs, 33 runs, an on-base percentage of 0.391, a slugging percentage of 464 and an OPS of 0.855.
In particular, Kim Ha-sung's bat was the hottest last summer. He played in 24 games with a batting average of 0.337, five home runs, nine RBIs, 21 points, and an OPS of 0.999. His batting average and OPS are the highest ever among Kim Ha-sung's monthly units. At that time, Kim Ha-sung was active as a leadoff for the San Diego lineup.
Considering this history, Kim Ha-sung's determination in July, who struggled at bat until the middle of this season, is bound to be different. Kim Ha-sung hit a timely double against Boston on the 1st, continuing his hit streak in nine consecutive games. During this period, he hit a batting average of 0.344 (11 hits in 32 at-bats). It is no exaggeration to say that we are ready to rebound.
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Local media Major League Trade Rumors (MLBTR) placed Kim Ha-sung eighth in the '2024-2025 MLB FA Power Ranking: June Edition' on the 28th.
MLBTR said 'Kim Ha-sung's offense is not that interesting. However, he is a good hitter because he judges strike zones well and has complete contact technology. He gets as many walks as he strikes out, but his batting average in-play is disappointing at 0.236, weakening his overall offense. He has poor assets in that regard, and Sabermetrics of in-play batting is not that impressive.
It can be said that Kim Ha-sung's batting skills were evaluated objectively.
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Last winter, the New York Yankees hesitated to recruit Cody Bellinger, an FA slugger, because the hard hit ratio and average batting speed decreased from 2022. Bellinger's hard hit ratio has decreased from 38.2% in 2022 to 31.4% in 2023 and the average batting speed from 89.4 miles to 87.9 miles. This is because Bellinger focused on contact heating. The Yankees didn't like it.
The same evaluation can be made of Kim Ha-sung. Of course, the hard hit ratio and batting speed are not absolute to Kim Ha-sung's value. This is because the value of defense is relatively high, and it has strengths of fast feet and pioneering eyes. Still, in order to gain attention in the FA market, it must show a certain level of batting indicators.
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Local media Forbes reported on the 2nd that the Padres, who acquired Dylan Shees in March and Luis Arraez in May through blockbuster trades, cannot afford to stop there. The Padres have signed huge extensions with many star players, but they have yet to see their results, so they will use the trade deadline as their last chance to spend money.
In other words, it will secure top-class players through active trade promotion. This means that the trade rumors that have been circulating around Kim Ha-sung for the past year have also disappeared. This year's trade deadline is July 31.
For San Diego, Kim Ha-sung should raise his offensive capability in July to the fullest. That way, you can feel safe even after August, when your physical strength declines.
jhno@sportschosun.com
