After hitting .202 in his rookie season and .251 in his sophomore year, Kim Ha-seong (San Diego) has been improving his batting average. This year, in his third year, he is hitting .288 in 108 games, with the potential to go even higher, according to an American sports publication.

US Athletic was the first to mention Kim in an article titled “Surprising hitters this season” on Aug. 8 (KST). Through eight games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kim is batting .288 with a .384 on-base percentage and .454 slugging percentage in his major league debut. Combine that with one of the best defenses in the majors and an above-average on-base percentage, and he ranks third overall and second in the National League in Baseball-Reference WAR.

The Athletic’s Gene McCaffrey first commented, “I saw how much the San Diego fans loved Kim in the postseason last year. I thought they were sophisticated fans. Kim’s performance was so-so, except for his grade-A defense and base running.”

Second-year player Ha-Sung Kim was one of those players. While he had some dramatic moments in the postseason, his .251 batting average and .708 OPS for the season were just above league average. In the postseason, he batted just .186 with a .542 OPS. The biggest reason Kim became a fan favorite was his hustle. His physicality in the field and on the bases made him one of the most beloved players in San Diego.

But this year, he’s added a bat to the mix. He’s also one of the best hitters in the majors. According to McCaffrey, “He’s been hitting really well this year. His .284 batting average may be his best, but he’s a solid hitter with C+ power, B+ speed, and a .265 on-base percentage. He’s a gem of a player who could be worth a lot of money in the National League, unless his price tag goes up,” he wrote.

“If you’re skeptical of Kim because of his statcast numbers in blue (meaning below average), don’t believe the numbers. He may not look like a good player on paper, but he can definitely hit for power. In the major leagues, he’s hit 56 doubles, five triples, and 34 home runs. There are a lot of players who have a higher percentage of hard-hit balls than Kim and haven’t done as well.”

McCaffrey concluded, “Kim’s low hard-hit percentage just means he’s not a Jordan Alvarez (Houston) type of player. The biggest reason for this is that he doesn’t swing at strikes. His swing rate is only 5.8%. If he learns to push it away, his .284 batting average may not be his ceiling.”

“His 21% swing rate outside the strike zone is astonishing. His 4.37 pitches per at-bat are a reason to keep him in the leadoff spot.” Kim has started 38 games at first base this year.바카라사이트

His 2-for-5 performance against the Dodgers on Aug. 8 extended his hitting streak to 13 games and his multi-hit streak to 15 games. During his multi-hit streak from last month’s 23rd game against Detroit to the 8th game against the Dodgers, he is batting .442 with a .567 on-base percentage. His season average, which was .262, has risen to .288 in 15 games. That .288 batting average ranks ninth in the National League.