Two Korean leaguers who are active in the major leagues are running with organs that can be counted in their hands in the league. Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego)’s defensive ability is being evaluated higher than last year. Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh)’s feet amaze the major leagues.
Kim Ha-seong and Bae Ji-hwan, who are playing important roles in their respective teams this year, are experiencing some ups and downs in the offense. Kim Ha-seong, who was on the rise in offense last year, is currently recording a batting average of 0.220, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage)토토사이트 0.645 in 25 games as of the 28th (Korean time). Bae Ji-hwan, who was named on the opening roster for the first time this year, has a batting average of 0.254, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.678 in 24 games.
While the OPS is still below 0.700, it is true that the offensive production is not that special. There are some games that have received attention for their good performance, but there are ups and downs overall. However, the reason why the two players are steadily used is because there is a certain ‘long term’. Kim Ha-seong is the defense, and Bae Ji-hwan is the base runner.
Ha-seong Kim is evaluated to have completely filled the gap of injury and disciplinary action of Fernando Tatis Jr. last year, at least in terms of defense. Although he failed to win the award, he was a finalist for the National League Gold Glove at shortstop. That he was rated at least ‘within the top 3’. This year, he moved to second base with the recruitment of Xander Bogarts, and is showing stable defense even at second base.
Kim Ha-seong’s OAA (an indicator that measures how many more outcounts he caught than the league average when calculating the overall defense probability, such as the quality and direction of batting balls) compiled by ‘Statcast’ is +3. This is also the second-best record in the second baseman category following Marcus Simeon (Texas‧+4) in the league. He is by far the best among National League second basemen. When the computer calculated comprehensively, Kim Ha-seong should have handled 74% of batted balls, but he handled 78%, which is 4% more than this. He also ranks second in runs prevented (RP).
Bae Ji-hwan’s strong point is his feet. He even said to himself, “I have confidence in running.” Such confidence of Bae Ji-hwan is well revealed in his records. He’s 29.5 feet per second (nearly 9m) at sprint speed (at peak) this year. He is well above the league average of 27 feet, and ranks ninth overall in the league. Bae Ji-hwan’s feet are the best in the major leagues, where players with tremendous athletic ability are swarming.
Among them, his greatest strength is his speed from home to first base. Bae Ji-hwan is particularly good at making surprise bunt hits this year. This is because he has good instantaneous agility, quick feet even in situations with momentum, and because he has the advantage of being a left-handed hitter, he can get to first base faster than anyone else. It takes only 4.07 seconds to reach first base from the plate. This is second in the league after Corbin Carroll (Arizona ‧ 4.06 seconds). The Korean league girdle is making a leap forward as a player that draws attention in the major leagues with his special weapon.