You want me to drop the number one player in the team? The sudden claim of "'Kim Ha-sung Trade'...objective indicators expected for the second half of the year
Jul 15, 2024
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Rumors of Kim Ha-sung's trade, which sank below the surface, have emerged again, which is believed to have come as Kim Ha-sung's batting power is below expectations.
The media disparaged that `If Xander Bogaerts returns soon, he will see shortstop, and Kim Ha-sung will be surplus power.' Although Kim Ha-sung, the core of the infield defense, is an important resource for the Padres, it is not efficient in attack at all with an OPS of 0.700. 'Even if you don't get a big name in exchange for giving up Kim Ha-sung and only receive a number of prospects, the Padres have to judge (Kim Ha-sung's trade) right away so as not to regret it later,' he wrote.
This means that Kim Ha-sung should be used as a trade card to strengthen his offense. While acknowledging Kim Ha-sung's defense, he emphasized that his offense was weak.
It is very unusual to argue that a batter with a strong 'attack power' should be recruited by selling 'defensive guard' Kim Ha-sung. As such, it should be seen that there are doubts about Kim Ha-sung's position in the team.
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Except for Jurickson Profar and Tatis Jr., no player has ever shot an OPS of .800 or higher in San Diego. In the final game of the first half against the Atlanta Braves on the 15th, San Diego lost 3-6 despite having nine hits, more than its opponent. Kim Ha-sung continued his performance in offense by hitting one hit, one point, one walk, and one stolen base in three times at bat.
A team's scoring ability is connection and timing. San Diego lacks the structure and concentration to play an important role in this area. In other words, Kim Ha-sung is not the only problem.
In particular, Kim Ha-sung ranks first in the team's batting average with 2.3 in the bWAR, which is calculated by summing up all the offense and defense capabilities. Among the batters, Profar ranks second with 2.1 and Tatis Jr. ranks third with 1.9. In fWAR, Kim Ha-sung is also the third among the team's batters with 2.4 after Profar (2.9) and Tatis Jr (2.5). The argument to trade such a player and bring a batter with strong offense is inconsistent and unrealistic.
San Diego was able to maintain a 50% winning rate during the first half thanks to the batting lineup. He ranks sixth among the 15 NL teams with a 4.53 scoring capacity per game and first with a team batting average of 0.261.
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In any case, San Diego finished the first half with a 50-49 win rate exceeding 50%. It is true that the team has slipped to third place in the National League West and fifth place in the wild card after losing 1-6 in the last seven games, but if Tatis Jr. and Bogaerts return, the opportunity for a rebound could widen.
Kim Ha-sung played in 97 of the 99 games his team played in the first half and recorded a batting average of 0.226 (73 hits in 323 times at bat), 10 homers, 40 RBIs, 48 runs, 48 walks, 18 steals, a on-base percentage of 0.327, a slugging percentage of 0.375, and an OPS of 0.706.
Kim Ha-sung marked a batting average of 0.268, 12 home runs, 34 RBIs, 51 points, 42 walks, 18 steals, an on-base percentage of 0.357, a slugging percentage of 0.428, and an OPS of 0.785, based on 99 games of last year's team, which recorded a career high in offense. It is true that overall figures have fallen. However, I don't think he is in a bad batting condition to be concerned about.
The average batting speed (88.1 miles), hard hit ratio (36.5 percent), and walk rate (12.6 percent), which indirectly indicate a batter's sense of hitting, are the best since their Major League debut. This is why the batting average in the second half is likely to jump.
jhno@sportschosun.com
