Kim Ha-sung, who is expected to be revived, ranked 17th, will return in April → WAR 2.3 or higher guaranteed → $100 million FA contract jackpot scenario came out
Feb 18, 2025
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MLB.com tied Kim Ha-sung for 17th on the 18th (Korea Standard Time) in a corner titled `Ranking Players Who Are Expected to Play Strong Among Players Who Changed Teams This Offseason.'
The media ranked players who changed their uniforms through FA contracts and trades this year based on the fWAR expectations of Steamer, a fan-graphs prediction system. As a result, Kim Ha-sung tied for 17th with fWAR 2.3 along with San Diego starter Nick Pivetta and Cincinnati Reds starter Brady Singer.
MLB.com said, "'Kim Ha-sung, a well-trimmed player with special value in defense, had a fWAR of 3 or higher in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he played at a similar pace and ended the season with a right shoulder injury in mid-August. Wearing a race uniform after four seasons with the Padres, he is unable to play in the opening game because he is undergoing rehabilitation after shoulder surgery, but predicted that if he returns to the end of April as targeted, he will have enough time to exceed the fWAR expectation of 2.3.
Kim Ha-sung injured his right shoulder while rushing to first base to check the opponent's pitcher's surprise check against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 19 last year, ending the season and undergoing surgery. In the aftermath of the surgery, Kim Ha-sung, who only devoted himself to rehabilitation during the offseason, however, recovered quickly and participated in string training camp in Tampa Bay enough to perform catch and batting training.
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Kim Ha-sung recorded fWARs of 3.6 and 4.2 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, during his time with the San Diego Padres. In particular, in 2023, he showed off his offense above the league's average by hitting 0.260, marking 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 84 points, and OPS+107, and beating his heyday by winning the NL utility Gold Glove.
Kim Ha-sung, who was included in the preliminary FA rankings Top 10 ahead of last season, was evaluated to be worth more than $100 million. However, as the shoulder injury adversely affected the FA's move, he held Tampa Bay's hand for less than half of that, two years and $29 million.
However, Kim Ha-sung was granted the right to opt out of the FA market after this season. If the 2023 performance is reproduced, contracts worth more than $150 million can be made depending on market demand as well as $100 million.
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Steamer predicted that Kim Hye-sung will play in 97 games and have a batting average of 0.279 (94 hits in 338 at-bats), five home runs, 36 RBIs, 42 points, 22 walks, 14 steals, and an OPS of 0.698. Steamer predicted Kim Hye-sung to be 365 at-bats in 97 games, based on the premise of using Platoon rather than the main player. In other words, right-handed hitters such as Kim Hye-sung, left-handed hitters, Kique Hernandez, Miguel Rojas or Chris Taylora will start if the opposing starter is right-handed.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
