The praise for San Diego Padres pitcher Ha-Sung Kim, 28, the first Korean to win a Gold Glove, continues to pour in.
Sports Illustrated (SI) said on July 7 (KST), “Kim finally won a Gold Glove. He was rewarded for his strong defense.”
Kim was named the Gold Glove winner in the National League Utility category of the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, announced by Major League Baseball on June 6. He is the first Korean big leaguer and first Asian infielder to win the award.
While Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Horner narrowly missed out on the Gold Glove for most games played at second base this season, Kim beat out Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts and Tommy Edmon, who formed a keystone duo in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), for the utility award.
While Kim excelled at his primary position of second base (106 games and 856⅔ innings), he was also perfect at third base (32 games and 253⅔ innings) and shortstop (20 games and 153⅔ innings).
Kim’s DRS (a measure of how well a defender prevents runs) was +10 at second base and +3 each at third and shortstop, for a total of +16.
“It’s been a good season for Ha-Sung Kim, who has been one of the few players to show consistency on offense and defense,” the outlet wrote.
“With the arrival of Xander Bogaerts, he moved to second base. The team had faith in his ability to play the new position, and he proved he could play it.” “When Bogaerts was injured, Kim moved back to shortstop, where he rotated depending on the starting pitcher. This season, he even played third base, proving himself to be a true utility man.” 보스토토 주소
Kim’s defense is obviously a big plus for the team. It gives them more flexibility in how they plan for next season.
“Kim’s new position gives San Diego the flexibility they desperately needed during the season. ”He was a plus defender at all three positions. ”He was a plus defender at all three positions and made everyone realize what an elite defender he was. He was a plus defender at all three positions, reminding everyone what an elite defender he was.”