The San Diego Padres were considered favorites to win the World Series ahead of the opening. However, in the first half, it fell with a score that was less than 50% win rate. Is a counterattack possible in the second half? Kim Ha-seong was selected as a hope factor for his outstanding performance in karate.
Prior to the season opener, San Diego acquired free agent shortstop Xander Bogarts for 11 years and $280 million. He signed a six-year, $108 million contract with starter Darvish Yu, and an 11-year, $350 million extension with Manny Machado. Right before the opening, he signed a 7-year, $80 million contract extension with Jake Cronenworth. San Diego’s team payroll is third in the major leagues.
However, after the opening, San Diego went up and down the .500 winning percentage, and since mid-May it has fallen below the .500 winning percentage. Far from first place in the National League West Division, it is in the middle of the league.토토사이트
With 43 wins and 47 losses in the first half (.478 win rate), they are in fourth place in the National League West Division. Even in the wild card race, it is 6th, 6 games behind San Francisco (49-41), which is in the last place on the ticket.
In the first half, Bogatz is sluggish with a batting average of .253, 10 homers, 35 RBIs, and an OPS of .731. Machado also fell short of expectations with a batting average of .261, 15 home runs, and 49 RBIs with an OPS of .765. Juan Soto, who is about to become a free agent, has the best performance with a batting average of .265, 15 homers, 47 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .419, and an OPS of .898.
Kim Ha-seong recorded an OPS of .760 with a batting average of .258, 10 homers, 31 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. bWAR 4.1 ranks 5th overall in the Major League and 3rd in the National League. Defensive WAR 2.1 ranks first in the National League. It’s a better performance on defense. Kim Ha-seong, who moved from shortstop to second baseman with the recruitment of Bogatz, recorded an OAA (out count against average) of 11, ranking second overall in the major leagues following Wander Franco (Tampa Bay).
The San Diego Union-Tribune evaluated Ha-sung Kim’s performance, saying, “Ha-sung Kim’s defensive magic and improved contact numbers are hope factors for the Padres so far this season.”
Kim Ha-seong improved his ability to respond quickly to fastballs, which was his weakness after advancing to the major leagues. He had a fastball wOBA of .301 in the first year of 2021, higher to .332 last year, and better this year to .352. Ha-seong Kim’s batting average with a fastball of 95 miles (153 km) or more was 10,500 in 2021 and 105 last year, but this year, he made a leap forward beyond 300.
Ha-seong Kim signed a four-year, $28 million contract with San Diego, and his annual salary this year is $8 million. He’s making a 2-3x share of his annual salary.