AJ Cassabel of ‘MLB.com’ posted on SNS on the 5th (Korean time) the San Diego Padres Fan Fest held at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA. and revealed the contents of the conversation with Kim Ha-sung.
Prior to the 2021 season, Kim Ha-sung stepped on the major league stage by signing a 4+1 year contract with San Diego. Ha-seong Kim received many opportunities in his debut, but struggled to adapt to the big leagues, recording 8 homers, 34 RBIs, 6 stolen bases and a batting average of 0.202 OPS of 0.622 in 117 games. He moved around a lot of positions as he never got the starting spot. But last year was different.
Ha-seong Kim played in 150 games in 2022 and played an active role with 130 hits, 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, 58 points, 12 stolen bases, a batting average of 0.251 OPS 0.708, and showed a remarkable growth in one year. And he was selected as a finalist for the Gold Glove Award for shortstop in the National League, showing off his splendid but solid defense.
Last year, Fernando Tatis Jr.’s vacancy was completely filled, but Kim Ha-seong is expected to step on the ground mainly as a second baseman this year. Casabel said on social media on the 5th, “It’s not surprising, but Kim Ha-seong said, ‘I’m expected to play mainly as a second baseman this season.'”
This is why San Diego signed an 11-year, $280 million (approximately 350.2 billion won) super-large contract with Zander Bogarts, one of the “biggest free agent (FA) players” after the 2022 season. In San Diego, where the shortstop resource was increased to three, Ha-seong Kim at second base,
Ha-seong Kim is scheduled to play many games as a second baseman, but depending on the situation, he can sometimes play as a third baseman. Last year, Kim Ha-seong also played as third baseman on days when Manny Machado was resting. According to Casabel, Kim Ha-seong trembled, saying, “I want you to call me ‘Kim Cha-do’ when I go to third base later.”
Machado, as San Diego’s ‘signature hitter’, played in 1445 games over 11 major league seasons, recording 1597 hits, 283 homers, and 85 stolen bases with a batting average of 0.282 OPS of 0.833. Machado started to build friendships after Kim Ha-sung joined San Diego, and he helped Ha-sung Kim adapt to the major leagues and the team. 바카라사이트