San Diego Padres infielder Ha Sung Kim has been hitting well in the second half of the season. He has the highest batting average on the team in the second half.
On August 16, he had a multi-hit game against the Baltimore Orioles. It was his sixth multi-hit game in August. The next day, in the final game against Baltimore, he went 1-for-4 with an RBI for the second straight game.
His batting average remains in the low 20s for the season. Through 17 days, he’s 2-for-8, but in the second half of the season, he’s 3-for-4 through 31, the highest among San Diego’s starters. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, an 11-year, $280 million man, is 3-for-2, and first baseman Jake Cronenweth is 2-for-6.
Juan Soto, a three-time National League Silver Slugger, is 2-for-6. The highly anticipated Fernando Tatis Jr. is just 2 for 2. And Ha Sung Kim is showing off his long ball power. He’s hit five home runs, the third-most among the top seven, behind Soto (nine) and Manny Machado (six).
Still, he hasn’t gotten the attention he deserves when looking at the league as a whole. MLB.com has a power ranking of big league hitters, and it’s no surprise that home run contenders Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels (42) and Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves (43) are at the top of the list.
However, after Ohtani and Olson, the top 10 was rounded out by Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager, Houston Astros’ Kyle Tucker, Miami Marlins’ Luis Arajuez, and Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.
Soto was followed by Houston’s Jose Altuve and Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz, with no votes for Kim. Soto received more votes than Kim, who has been the team’s “offensive spark” as the No. 1 hitter as of late.
Through 17 games, Soto is batting .407 with a .906 OPS, 24 home runs and 75 RBIs. He is San Diego’s center fielder. He is tied with Machado (21) for the only player on the team with more than 20 home runs in the center of the order.온라인바카
However, he hasn’t been hitting well lately. He went 0-for-8 during a two-game series against Seattle on Sept. 9 and 10, 3-for-14 during a three-game series against Arizona on Sept. 12-14, and 1-for-8 during a three-game series at Baltimore on Sept. 15-17.
MLB.com’s power rankings for hitters were later released, and Soto, not Kim, was listed, albeit outside the top 10.