“Ha Sung Kim deserves to be an All-Star.”
MLB.com announced the first round of fan voting for the All-Star Game by position on Aug. 13 (ET). Kim received 82,979 votes, ranking ninth among National League second basemen. He was nearly 420,000 votes behind first-place Luis Arares 먹튀검증 (Miami Marlins, 509,092).
Kim has been getting a lot of attention from the local media this season, posting some of the best numbers among National League second basemen in DRS, Defensive WAR, and more. He’s even been talked about as a possible Gold Glove winner. In reality, the positive impact of Kim’s defense on San Diego is significant. He’s worth up to $39 million over 4+1 years.
In fact, Kim didn’t get much attention in the MLB fan voting. It’s inevitable that players with better hitting stats and higher name recognition will have an advantage. However, Kim is a foreigner and doesn’t have flashy batting stats to draw attention to himself. He may struggle in fan voting in the future.
But the American media still recognizes his value. Sports Illustrated’s Fan Nation Inside the Padres tweeted on March 13, “Kim deserves to be an All-Star. There’s a reason why every time he steps up to the plate, the entire crowd at Petco Park is chanting his name in anticipation of his performance.”
Kim’s versatility was still emphasized. “He is one of the Padres’ most versatile outfielders and can cover multiple spots on defense,” said Inside the Padres. He’s played third base, shortstop, and can go wherever the team needs him.”
“As far as WAR is concerned, the most valuable player on the San Diego roster is Ha Sung Kim, who deserves to be an All-Star and should be a Gold Glove winner for the utility player added last season. He plays all three infield spots (shortstop, second base, and third base) and provides a lot of value on defense.”
A Gold Glove is still a long way off. If he doesn’t make it through the fan vote, he could be nominated by the MLB office or the All-Star manager. Shin-Soo Choo in 2018 and Ryu Hyun-jin in 2019 did the latter.
