“The fact that a player who ranks third in WAR (contribution to victory over substitutes) among all fielders in the major leagues is not even close to the top 100 in annual salary can be seen as a cheap contract or a blow.”토토사이트
Did you know in 2021 that the day will come when you will hear that the ransom of Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres) is absurdly low? San Diego local media ‘East Village Times’ analyzed on the 4th (Korean time) that San Diego set a too low ransom for Kim Ha-sung, insisting that ‘the contract should be extended at this opportunity’.
The East Village Times said, ‘Kim Ha-seong is completing an overall dominant season with an annual salary of 7 million dollars (approximately 9.1 billion won) this year. For the curious, $7 million is just shy of the league’s top 50 salaries. As of the 2023 season, the 50th annual salary is $20 million (approximately 26.2 billion won),’ he explained.
Ha-seong Kim signed a four-year, $28 million (approximately 36.7 billion won) contract with San Diego ahead of the 2021 season. At the time of the contract, San Diego was building a top-notch infield in the major leagues, including third baseman Manny Machado, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., second baseman Jake Cronenworth, and first baseman Eric Hosmer. Although Kim Ha-seong was a player who could fly and crawl in the KBO League, the mission San Diego wanted was not to immediately become a starter. Since it was a recruitment to strengthen the depth of the infield, there was a difference from the contract amount of top players in the major leagues.
But things are different now. Ha-seong Kim only had a period of adaptation in the first year of 2021, but from 2022 he quickly emerged as a key player. In 2022, Tatis Jr. was lucky to miss the entire season due to a wrist injury and disciplinary action for taking prohibited drugs, but Kim Ha-seong took the starting shortstop position with his skills when the opportunity came. He appeared in 150 games last season, posting a batting average of .251 (130 hits in 517 at-bats), 11 homers, and 59 RBIs, proving that he was somewhat attuned to the ball from major league pitchers, and his defense was a Gold Glove finalist for the National League shortstop category. It was solid enough to climb.
This year, Ha-seong Kim is proving why he is a Korean shortstop who achieved a batting average of 30% with 30 homers and 20 stolen bases. Ahead of this season, San Diego signed free agent shortstop Xander Bogarts for 280 million dollars (about 367 billion won) in 11 years, so Ha-seong Kim was pushed to second base, but his performance in offense and defense is not inferior to any other San Diego infielder. . He had a batting average of .284 (98 hits in 345 at-bats), 15 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases in 104 games. It is expected that he will join the club with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the first time as an Asian major league infielder.
If you look at the WAR rankings provided by Baseball Reference, you can get a better idea of how great Ha-Sung Kim is having this year. Among all Major League fielders, defensive WAR ranks third with 1.8, and offensive WAR ranks 10th with 4.0. The combined WAR of offense and defense is 5.4, ranking third after Shohei Ohtani (Angels, 8.0) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta, 5.5). However, Kim Ha-seong is only receiving $7 million a year this year, so the word ‘cheap’ is bound to come out.
The East Village Times said, “The fact that a player ranked third in WAR among all fielders in the major leagues is not even close to the top 100 in annual salary can be seen as a cheap contract or a blow. No matter where he plays, Ha-seong Kim must sign an extension contract as soon as possible,’ he stressed.
Then, ‘If San Diego takes measures in advance and is currently having deep discussions regarding Ha-sung Kim’s extension contract, he will still be able to maintain Ha-sung Kim’s long-term contract at a discounted ransom. First of all, it is necessary to prepare for a seven-year, $150 million (approximately 196.6 billion won) extension contract that will be implemented from the 2025 season. The contract will keep Ha-Sung Kim retaining significant annual value in San Diego through his 35-year-old season. Considering Ha-sung Kim’s age, it is a low-risk extension contract,’ he added.
Currently, Kim Ha-seong emphasized that he is an ‘all-round player’. East Village Times, ‘Do you have good contact skills? His batting average is 0.284. Are you good at getting on base? Yes. His on-base percentage is 0.380. How about a home run? He has hit 15 homers this year and is on a 25-home run pace. How about base play? He recorded 22 stolen bases. what about the defense? 3rd overall in defensive WAR. Ha-seong Kim’s WAR ranks third overall in the major leagues, right after Acuña Jr. and Ohtani, the leading MVP candidates for each league, says a lot,’ he said, hoping that San Diego would come to a conclusion soon.
Also, ‘San Diego general manager AJ Preller may not have been 100% sure that Ha-sung Kim was the right player for the team at first, but he was right in pushing for a contract with Ha-sung Kim’s incredible talent. Director Preller emphasized that now we have to keep Kim Ha-seong, the hidden gem of the team, for a long term.