Kim Ha-seong, who holds the MLB Gold Glove, challenges for Silver Slugger on the 10th
Ichiro is the only Asian player to win both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.
Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres), who became the first Korean player to win the Major League Baseball (MLB) Gold Glove, is now a ‘defensive master’ recognized by MLB.
The Gold Glove, which Ha-seong Kim received on the 6th (Korean time), is awarded to the best defender for each position in the two major leagues.
This season, Ha-seong Kim played all infield positions except first base, protecting San Diego’s infield without any leaks. 카지노사이트탑
He appeared in 106 games, the most as a second baseman, with 856⅔ innings, and also appeared whenever the team needed him at third base (32 games, 253⅓ innings) and shortstop (20 games, 153⅓ innings).
The total number of errors was 7 (4 at second base, 1 at third base, and 2 at shortstop).
The Gold Glove only evaluates defense, and is selected and voted on by each team’s manager and coaches after the season.
In addition, since 2013, to ensure fairness in the selection of winners, sabermetrics defensive indicators have been reflected to a certain extent in the evaluation.
Kim Ha-seong is the first Asian player to receive the Gold Glove since Ichiro Suzuki (who won the award for 10 consecutive years from 2001 to 2010).
Ichiro played as an outfielder, and Kim Ha-seong is the first Asian infielder to win the Gold Glove.
While Kim Ha-seong was rejected, he even challenged for the Silver Slugger, which is given to the player who showed off the best attack power for each position.
Ha-seong Kim was selected as a candidate for the National League Utility category along with Betts, Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs), and Spencer Stier (Cincinnati Reds) at the Silver Slugger, which is scheduled to announce the winner on the 10th.
No Korean player has received the Silver Slugger, and among Asian players, only Ichiro (2001, 2007, 2009) and Shohei Ohtani (2022) have received it.
Ichiro is the only Asian player to win the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards simultaneously in the same year.
If the Gold Glove is symbolized by a ‘golden glove’, the Silver Slugger receives a shiny silver ‘Louisville Slugger’ bat.
With the introduction of the National League designated hitter system in 2022, the Silver Slugger in the pitcher category has disappeared, and its place has been filled by the utility category.
In fact, it is not easy for Kim Ha-seong to win the Silver Slugger award.
This season, he had his best season with a batting average of 0.260, 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 38 stolen bases, and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.749, but his competitors’ performance is very good.
Betts performed at the league’s MVP level with a batting average of 0.307, 39 home runs, 107 RBI, and an OPS of 0.987, while Bellinger made a comeback with a batting average of 0.307, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, and an OPS of 0.881.
Steer’s performance is a batting average of 0.271, 23 home runs, 86 RBI, and an OPS of 0.820.
For Kim Ha-seong, regardless of whether he received the award or not, the mere fact that he was named as a finalist for the player who showed off the best offensive ability in each position is meaningful.