‘Big League’ Kim Ha-sung starts from the hit check

Kim Ha-seong begins a full-fledged competition in the MLB demonstration game that opens on the 1st. [AP=뉴시스]

Big leaguer Kim Ha-seong (26, San Diego Padres) begins to compete in earnest. He sets out to prove his worth in the major league (MLB) demonstration game starting on the 1st (Korean time). It is an important time to determine the position, batting order, and position within the team this season.

MLB.com’s San Diego reporter AJ Casabell posted an expected defensive position in the opening game of the San Diego and Seattle Mariners on social media on the 28th of last month. Prior to the official announcement of the club, it was a defensive position based on the content of the coverage, and Kim Ha-seong was marked as the designated hitter. Although his position or participation status has not been confirmed, it is a sign that the locals consider him to be a’main battle’.

In this lineup, Kim Ha-sung and San Diego’s protagonist are listed. They include catcher Austin Nola, first baseman Brian O’Grady, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., third baseman Manny Machado, left fielder Tommy Pam, center fielder Trent Gresham, and right fielder Will Myers. Reporter Casabell predicted that Kim Ha-sung’s rival, Jake Cronenworth, would start as second baseman.

Ha-sung Kim, who joined Nexen (now Kiwoom) in 2014, entered the first group from the first season of the pros that same year. The following year, he became the main shortstop. He has grown up every year and has established himself as a leader of the national team. His career performance in KBO League 7 season was 0.294, with 133 home runs and 575 RBIs. In particular, last season batting average of 0.306, 30 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 23 steals were active.

Instead of complacent with’the best in Korea’, Kim Ha-seong took on a bigger challenge. At the end of last year, with the club’s consent, they applied for an MLB posting. He received love calls from many clubs, and signed a contract with San Diego on the first day of this year for ‘4+1 years, up to $39 million (about 42.4 billion won)’. It is the best treatment among Korean beasts from the KBO League.

Not only this. Even in the first MLB Spring Camp, where he participated in anticipation, Kim Ha-seong received generous points for both karate from the beginning. Having been guaranteed a position as the starting shortstop for his team and national team for a long time, he returned to his original intentions and started a new leap forward.

Before leaving the country, Ha-sung Kim said, “Since a year before the declaration of the MLB challenge, I have strengthened my physical strength (to digest 162 big league matches) and built up my strength. After signing with San Diego, I trained by hitting as many fast balls as possible with a pitching machine.” He is proud to say, “I’ve already thought about it enough and prepared it” in order to show the slugging power even among the big leaguers.

In the KBO League, he mainly played shortstop and third baseman, but also showed confidence in the competition for second base. Kim Ha-seong “I mainly played second base when I was in high school. When playing as a backup infielder in the pro, he also learned the second baseman footsteps. I have often seen examples of successful players who changed from shortstop to second base. I’m sure that I’m playing as an infielder will help San Diego as well.”

There is nothing left to do to show confidence as a result. Kim Ha-sung, who stands at the starting line of his long dream, finally picks up the bat and confronts MLB pitcher. He said, “I want to be a good role model for young Korean baseball players by working really hard in the United States.”

Reporter Bae Youngeun [email protected]