Yankees, Kim Ha-sung, the captain of the special Keystone combination media, GG has a second base in the fourth inning, why?
Jan 01, 2025
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The U.S. sports media 'The Athletic' selected the Yankees as a suitable destination for Kim Ha-sung on the 31st of last month (Korea time). Just a week ago, the media picked the Los Angeles Dodgers as the likely destination for Kim Ha-sung. Citing a source familiar with the Dodgers' internal situation, Kim Ha-sung is on the Dodgers' FA market shopping list. There was a precondition that the Dodgers and slugger Teoscar Hernandez (32) failed to reunite, but the situation unfolded against Kim Ha-sung as the Dodgers awarded Hernandez a three-year, $66 million (about 97.1 billion won) contract.
The Athletic analyzed the possibility of the Yankees recruiting Kim Ha-sung. The media said 'If the Yankees recruit a second baseman in the FA market, it's understandable if it's Kim Ha-sung. The reason why the Yankees wanted to replace Gleyber Torres (28, Detroit Tigers), who was the main second baseman, was because of poor defense and main focus.
Torres signed a short-term contract with Detroit on the 28th of last month for a year of $15 million (about 22 billion won). Torres' transfer was inevitable because the Yankees were not interested in reuniting with Torres from the beginning.
The Athletic expected Kim Ha-sung to be the best card to compensate for all Torres' shortcomings. The media reported that the central infield combination of Kim Ha-sung and Volpi will be the Yankees' special Keystone combination. Kim Ha-sung is a player who can break through 20 stolen bases in a season. The Yankees were the worst-performing team in the major league club in the 2024 season. He expected Kim Ha-sung to be able to revitalize the team with his fast feet as well as solid defense. Kim Ha-sung recorded 38 steals in 2023 and 22 steals in 2024.
Kim Ha-sung's history of shoulder surgery is the only obstacle. This is why Kim Ha-sung was evaluated as the biggest fish that can sign contracts worth more than $100 million (about 147.1 billion won) in the FA market, but the ransom suddenly dropped. Kim Ha-sung took a short break at the end of last season, thinking it was a mild shoulder inflammation, but he eventually got on the operating table as he had difficulty throwing in the process of rehabilitating and preparing for his return. It is difficult to join the team from the beginning of this season.
The Athletic said that if there is one issue for Kim Ha-sung, it is difficult to return from shoulder surgery and play in time for the opening of the regular season. He also pointed out that he is slightly above average when it comes to hitting, and his slugging power has not grown enough.
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However, Le Mayhew is increasingly estranged from his past reputation. Since peaking with a batting average of 0.364 (71 hits in 195 at-bats) and an OPS of 1.011 in 2020, when the season was shortened in the aftermath of COVID-19, it has been on the decline. In 2023, he hit 0.243, 15 homers, 44 RBIs, OPS 0.718, and last year, he hit 0.204, two homers, 26 RBIs, and OPS 0.527. Recently, positions have played a role in filling the vacancy by moving between first and third basemen. Last year, a foot injury hampered him, but anyway, LeMayhew's position in the team is narrowing.
The Athletic said 'The Yankees will have empty spots at third or second base depending on which position they use Jazz Chisom Jr. (26) in the infield. LeMayhew has a chance to prove why he has to go back into the Yankees starting lineup. With Torres moving to Detroit, LeMayhew became one of the internal candidates. Although it has been on a downward trend since he became the American League batting king in 2020, the Yankees did not rule out the possibility that the Yankees would trust LeMayhew to be the starting option in 2025.
The U.S. media does not believe that the Yankees will stop strengthening their power at the current level. This is because recruitment continues to be made to make up for the loss of the biggest fish Juan Soto (26) to the New York Mets. Soto signed a 15-year contract with the Mets for a total of 765 million dollars (about 1.1259 trillion won), causing a big impact in the league. The Yankees filled Soto's vacancy with Iran's Cody Bellinger (29) and Paul Goldschmidt (38). Attention is focusing on whether Kim Ha-sung will be able to wear a FinStreet uniform.
Kim Ha-sung entered the Major League through the posting system, signing a four-year, $28 million contract with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2021 season. Kim Ha-sung, who has been the main player since 2022, has grown into the most beloved player, with San Diego fans calling his name the loudest every game. His overall performance in the four seasons of the Major League is 540 games, a batting average of 0.242 (418 hits in 1725 at-bats), 47 homers, 78 steals, 200 RBIs, 229 runs, and an OPS of 0.706.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
