There’s nothing rough about it. As of late, he’s gone completely off the rails on offense. Kim “Awesome Kim” Ha-Sung (28, San Diego Padres) has been swinging a fire bat. He’s now ranked eighth in the National League in batting average in Major League Baseball.메이저놀이터
He went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, one home run, one RBI, and three runs scored in a road game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. He also drew two walks and stole four bases. It was his second straight multi-hit game after going 2-for-5 the day before. Raised his season batting average to .284. Ranks first on the team and eighth in the National League in batting average.
Has been swinging the bat very lightly. In his last seven games, he’s batting .455 with 10 hits in 22 at-bats. He has a .586 on-base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage. He has an OPS of 1.222. The stats are phenomenal. Zooming in to his last 15 games, he’s batting .412. In his last 30 games, he’s batting .355.
Along with his stellar play, he’s also climbed the ranks of several personal records. In addition to being eighth in batting average, he is ninth in on-base percentage (.380), 15th in OPS (.838), tied for seventh in stolen bases (22), and tied for 21st in runs scored (60). He’s also improved his 20-20 chances. He’s already stolen 22 bases and drawn 15 arches. He needs five more home runs to become the first Asian infielder to reach 20-20.
Defensively, he has made his mark as a utility infielder. Wherever he plays in the infield, he plays net defense. In 107 games this season, he has started 73 times at second base, 20 times at third base, and 14 times at shortstop. His ability to play multiple positions to suit the team’s needs has helped his Golden Glove chances while playing some of the best defense in the majors.
When Kim joined San Diego in 2021, he was criticized for his offense compared to his defense. He hit just .202 in his rookie season and only .251 last season. However, the middle of this season has been a different story. He struggled in April, batting in the low teens, but rebounded in May and has been on fire this summer.
It’s no longer awkward to call him an “offense and defense” player. He hits well, runs well, and plays solid defense. It will be interesting to see how far he can go in his third year in the major leagues.