“No one was the best player in 2023. Because the honor belonged to Kim Ha-sung.”
Kim Ha-sung (San Diego Padres) was recognized as the best player in the team in the 2023 season. The special article on the 18th (hereinafter referred to as Korean time) looked back on this season of the National League Western District clubs. He acknowledged Kim Ha-sung’s contribution but was concerned about the decline in hitting power due to Juan Soto’s trade of $440 million (about 570.5 billion won)
“The idea of moving Soto makes sense from a financial standpoint, but it means losing our best opportunity to advance deep into the postseason,” the pitcher said. “San Diego needs to be very careful with their decisions.
Even the feature list said, “The biggest factor that could reorganize the batting lineup is Soto’s departure. “Even if the team gets major league-ready talent in return, there is no way to replace a modern-day Ted Williams.” I understand the club’s pay cut policy, but it is true that there is no card to replace Soto. 안전놀이터
So the pitcher said, “If San Diego decides to keep Soto, they can surround him with Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr., while almost guaranteeing him a few points per game. In fact, none of the stars mentioned here will be San Diego’s best player in 2023.”
At this point, Kim Ha-seong was subtly mentioned. The feature list said, “That honor belonged to Ha-seong Kim. The second baseman must balance the upper and lower ranks of the roster, but the most important thing for San Diego is for the lower order lineup (Jake Cronenworth, Trent Grisham) to take a step forward. “If he doesn’t improve, he could become a platoon candidate.”
Regardless of just the numbers, it is recognized that Kim Ha-sung’s influence on San Diego’s offense and defense this season was enormous. By mid-season, he was ranked 2nd or 3rd in WAR across the major leagues. At the end of the season, he often played third base instead of Machado. In the end, he became the first Asian major league infielder to win the Gold Glove. National League Utility Gold Glove Award. 안전놀이터
Additionally, the pitcher argued that San Diego needs to strengthen its starting lineup this offseason. Blake Snell is a first-tier free agent starting pitcher, so it is already difficult to catch him. In terms of giving more opportunities to existing prospects, he recommended recruiting a veteran starting pitcher worth around $10 million. He mentioned Jose Quintana, Carlos Carrasco and Johnny Cueto. Ryu Hyun-jin was not mentioned.