Ha-sung Kim and San Diego agreed to join… Interested in posting amount

Infielder Kim Ha-seong (25) is expected to join the Major League (MLB) San Diego Padres. The birth of another Korean big leaguer is approaching.

US media such as MLB.com said on the 29th (Korean time) “Kim Ha-sung agreed to a contract with San Diego. When the medical test is completed, the (entrance) will be official.” US local reporters also tweeted, “San Diego won the battle for Kim Ha-seong through the posting system (private competitive bidding). It will be a long-term contract for at least four years, and the terms are expected to be around $7 million per year.”

Before Kim Ha-sung, four Korean players who entered the big leagues through the posting system were pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays) in 2013, 15-year infielder Kang Jeong-ho (retired), 16-year infielder Park Byeong-ho (Keeum), and this year’s pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun (Saint Louis Cardinals). to be. If Kim Ha-sung joins, it is the fifth and third infielder from Kiwoom. Among them, the player who transferred the largest amount was Ryu Hyun-jin ($36 million in 6 years) who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is also of interest that Kim Ha-sung will exceed this amount.

Ha-sung Kim is the national shortstop who won the Golden Gloves for the last three years in a row. In this year’s Kiwoom, he played an all-around batting average of 0.306, 30 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 23 steals. During the 7th professional season, as the main shortstop, he consistently did well without any major injuries. Ha-sung Kim decided to advance overseas early at the end of last year and prepared a post. Earlier this month, when a post was posted to 30 MLB clubs, there was an explosion of interest. The media also discussed various clubs and paid attention to the competition for recruitment. He received high marks for being a young infielder in his mid-20s who can handle all infield positions.

San Diego is also a team with the best infield in MLB. 2nd year professional Fernando Tatis Jr., who has grown into a top infielder, is the shortstop, and Jake Cronenworth, a joint second in the rookie vote this year, is second baseman. Manny Machado, who was selected as an All-Star four times, stands at third base. Locally, there is a prospect that “Kronenworth can move to left field and focus on hitting, and Kim Ha-sung can take on second base.” In that case, you can see the scene where Ha-sung Kim and Tatis Junior make a keystone combination.

Expectations also swell. MLB baseball prediction system’ZiPS’ analyzed, “If Kim Ha-sung converts this year’s KBO league performance into a big league score, batting average is 0.274, on-base ratio is 0.345, slugging ratio is 0.478, home runs are 24, and steals are 17.” Ha-sung Kim has already arrived in the US and is undergoing the necessary procedures for the contract. It is highly likely that the news of joining this year will be delivered.

Reporter Bae Youngeun [email protected]