The bat of Ha-seong Kim (28, San Diego Padres) turns fiercely. He is looking to hit the 20 home run mark as he adjusts to the fast ball. Ha-seong Kim played as the first hitter (second baseman) in a major league match against the Los Angeles Angels held at Petco Park in San Diego, California on the 4th (Korean time) and recorded 1 hit and 1 run in 5 at-bats. His batting average for the season dropped slightly to 0.257, but he continued his three-game hitting streak.
In particular, Kim Ha-seong recorded a batting average of 0.321 (17 hits in 53 at-bats), 5 home runs and 12 RBIs in the last 15 games. Kim Ha-seong, who had only hit 5 home runs until May, hit the 10th home run on the 3rd and quickly rose to double-digit home runs. He hit 11 home runs last season, but hit 10 this year before even completing the first half.
He also seems capable of achieving the ’20-20 club’, a symbol of the Hotajun tribe. The 20-20 club means hitting 20 home runs and 20 or more stolen bases. It is a record that can be achieved only with long hitting power, quick feet, and baseball sense. Shin-soo Choo and Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) are the only Asian players who have made the ’20-20′ so far.
During the KBO League Kiwoom Heroes days, Kim Ha-seong was an all-weather infielder who had the ability to attack, defend, and run. In 2020, he also hit 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. However, after advancing to the United States in 2021, the following year, his slugging power declined. Although his defensive skills improved, he only hit eight home runs in his first year in the majors. He could not properly cope with fastballs exceeding 150 km/h.
Kim Ha-seong, who had been like that, has changed. In 2021, the batting average that attacked the fastball was 0.231, but last year it rose to 0.262. All home runs in seasons 6-10 were made by hitting fast balls. In particular, against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 30th of last month, he hit a 156.6 km/h fastball from Luis Ortiz and made his ninth home run.토토사이트
Ha-seong Kim reduced his movement at the plate last year, such as making leg kicks that raise his legs in line with the pitching rhythm smaller. Instead of reducing his swing size, he increased his speed. He is coping with fastballs this year by making fine adjustments.
Ha-seong Kim’s contract with San Diego (a total of 4 years, 28 million dollars, about 36.4 billion won) ends next year. Local media predicts that San Diego is likely to offer a contract extension. When entering the free agent (FA) market in the 2025 season, it is predicted that the average annual salary will be more than 10 million dollars (13 billion won) and the total amount will increase two to three times.
