MLB.com Recognizes Ha-seong Kim’s Outstanding Performance as MVP Candidate
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, recently acknowledged Ha-seong Kim (28, San Diego Padres) as a potential MVP candidate in the second half of the season. In a poll conducted by MLB.com, two players were originally considered leading candidates for the prestigious award, but now only one remains with unanimous support.
Starting from the second half, MLB.com reporters unanimously voted Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels) as the American League MVP candidate, while Ronald Acuña Jr. (26, Atlanta Braves) received the same recognition for the National League. This decision was based on Ohtani’s exceptional performance both as a pitcher and hitter, leading the league in home runs, and Acuña’s remarkable achievements with 20 homers and 40 stolen bases, on track to set a major league record.
However, while Ohtani continues to dominate the American League, strong candidates such as Freddie Freeman (34, LA Dodgers) emerged in the second half for the National League. Despite this, Ohtani received 48 votes in the MVP vote, whereas Acuña Jr. secured 45 votes and Freeman only received 3 votes.
What’s notable is the distribution of votes after the first-place pick. Mookie Betts (31, LA Dodgers), Matt Olson (29, Atlanta), and Juan Soto (25, San Diego) were mentioned alongside other potential candidates such as Kim Ha-seong, Nolan Arenado, and Cody Bellinger. Kim Ha-seong has been enjoying a career-best season since joining the major leagues in 2021, boasting a .288 batting average, 15 homers, 41 RBIs, 62 runs, 24 stolen bases, and an impressive on-base percentage of 0.384, slugging percentage of 0.454, and OPS of 0.838 in 108 games.
Last year, Kim Ha-seong’s exceptional defensive skills earned him a place among the top three National League Gold Glove candidates, further solidifying his contribution to the team. According to Baseball Reference WAR, a respected US baseball statistics site, Ha-seong Kim shares the top spot in the National League with Acuña Jr., both with a bWAR (contribution to win against substitute players) of 5.6. Among all players in the major leagues, only Ohtani surpasses Kim Ha-seong with an average of 8.6.
Despite fans showing their support through MVP chants online and offline in the United States, this is the first time credible media outlets like MLB.com have recognized Kim Ha-seong’s exceptional performance. It’s significant that voters participating in the MVP selection also acknowledged his talent.
Furthermore, MLB Network recently drew attention by providing a detailed analysis of Kim Ha-seong’s performance. According to their analysis, Kim Ha-seong has displayed remarkable adaptability to off-speed balls this year, maximizing his on-base rate. Among all hitters who played at least 130 innings since June 16th, Kim Ha-seong ranks third, alongside Freeman, with a wRC+ (adjusted scoring production) of 185. Moreover, among hitters who played over 250 innings, Kim Ha-seong persistently frustrated opposing pitchers, ranking fourth in the number of pitches per at-bat in the major leagues.
These impressive statistics solidify Kim Ha-seong’s position as the fourth overall in on-base percentage in the major leagues during the second half. According to MLB Network, Kim Ha-seong achieved a second-place ranking with an on-base percentage of 0.490, surpassing Acuña Jr.’s 0.474. In terms of hitting indicators, Kim Ha-seong outperformed Acuña Jr. in most categories and demonstrated a high OPS.
In the second half of the season, Kim Ha-seong recorded a batting average of 0.384 in 23 games, alongside 5 home runs, 10 RBIs, 18 runs, and 8 stolen bases. He achieved an on-base rate of 0.490, a slugging rate of 0.593, and an impressive OPS of 1.083. Acuña Jr., on the other hand, attained a batting average of .370 in 21 games, with 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, 20 runs, and 12 stolen bases, reflecting a .474 on-base rate, a .580 slugging rate, and an OPS of 1.054, ranking 8th and 11th respectively in the major leagues.
Up until now, there have been only four instances of Korean major leaguers receiving MVP votes. It began with Choo Shin-soo (41, SSG Landers) ranking 14th with the Cleveland Indians in 2010 and 12th with the Cincinnati in 2013. Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) was also recognized as the 19th MVP candidate when he finished second in the National League Cy Young Award with the LA Dodgers in 2019 and secured the 3rd spot in the American League Cy Young Award with Toronto in 2020. He also ranked 13th in the MVP vote.
While it is unlikely that Ha-seong Kim will actually win the MVP title, he has made history by receiving the most MVP votes among Korean major leaguers. He stands alongside true MVP candidates like Acuña Jr. and Freeman, further solidifying his position in the league.
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Reporter Kim Dong-yoon of Star News | 2023.08.09 07:01
Ha-seong Kim./AFPBBNews=News 1 Ha-seong Kim./AFPBBNews=News 1 Ha-seong Kim./AFPBBNews=News 1 MLB.com, the official homepage of the major leagues, finally mentioned Ha- seong Kim (28 , San Diego Padres) as the MVP candidate even after entering the second half. On the 9th (Korea time), MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, said, “In the poll conducted immediately after the second half, the two major league MVP candidates were unanimous. However, now there is only one player who has a unanimous opinion.” has revealed
Starting in the second half, MLB.com reporters unanimously voted Ohtani Shohei (29, LA Angels) MVP candidates for the American League and Ronald Acuña Jr. (26, Atlanta Braves) for the National League. This is because Ohtani leads the major league in home runs while pitching and hitting, and Acuña Jr. is on pace for a major league record with 20 homers and 40 stolen bases.
However, unlike the American League, which is still dominated by Ohtani alone, in the National League, prominent candidates including Freddie Freeman (34, LA Dodgers) began to stand out in the second half. For that reason, Ohtani swept 48 votes in the MVP vote held on the day, while in the National League, Acuña Jr. 45 votes and Freeman 3 votes.
What stands out is the location of the votes with the exception of the 1st place vote. Mookie Betts (31, LA Dodgers), Matt Olson (29, Atlanta), and Juan Soto (25, San Diego) followed suit, and Kim Ha-seong, Nolan Arena, and Cody Bellinger were mentioned as other candidates. This season, Kim Ha-seong is having a career-high season after advancing to the major leagues in 2021, recording a .288 batting average, 15 homers, 41 RBIs, 62 runs, 24 stolen bases, an on-base percentage the on base of 0.384, and a slugging percentage of 0.454, and an OPS of 0.838 in 108 games.
Ha-seong Kim./AFPBBNews=News1 Ha-seong Kim./Photo=San Diego Padres official SNS Ha-seong Kim./Photo=San Diego Padres club official SNS Last year, in addition to the defense that was among the three National League Gold Glove Candidates final, the team’s contribution was also supported, and is also well recognized. According to Baseball Reference WAR (contribution to a win against substitute players), a US baseball statistics site, Ha-seong Kim is tied for first in the National League with Acuna Junior with a bWAR of 5.6. Even in the big leagues, only Ohtani has a higher 8.6 average than Kim Ha-seong.
There were people who sent Kim Ha-seong MVP chants with fan spirit online and offline in the United States for such an amazing performance. However, this is the first time it has been mentioned in credible media such as MLB.com. In fact, it is significant that the voters who participated in the MVP selection voted for Kim Ha-seong.
Unfortunately, on the same day, MLB Network drew attention by analyzing Kim Ha-seong in detail. According to MLB Network analysis, Kim Ha-seong this year is showing a flexible response to off-speed balls, maximizing his on-base rate. MLB Network reported that among all hitters in the major leagues who have played at least 130 innings since June 16th, Ha-seong Kim has a wRC+ (adjusted scoring production) of 185, tied with Freeman for third site and boasts the same. productivity. In addition, among hitters who played more than 250 innings, the number of pitches per at-bat was 4.36, and Kim Ha-seong was the fourth hitter who pissed off pitchers in the major leagues.
As a result of the detailed indicators overlapping, the percentage on base in the second half was 4th overall in the major leagues. Ha-seong Kim placed 4th with 0.490 in the on-base percentage leader category in the second half, released by MLB Network via official SNS. Figure beating Acuna Jr. of 0.474. In fact, in terms of second half performance, Kim Ha-seong is ahead of Acuna Junior in most hitting indicators and has a high OPS.
In the second half, Ha-seong Kim had a batting average of 0.384 in 23 games, 5 home runs, 10 RBI, 18 points, 8 stolen bases, an on-base rate of 0.490, a slugging rate of 0.593 OPS, 1.083 , and Acuña Junior had a .370 batting average in 21 games, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, 20 runs, 12 stolen bases, a .474 on-base rate, a .580 slugging rate OPS Second half alongside a 1.054 Mae’ n 8th and 11th place in ML in the OPS category.
So far, there have been four times when Korean major leaguers have received MVP votes. It started when Choo Shin-soo (41, SSG Landers) went 14th with the Cleveland Indians in 2010 and 12th with the Cincinnati in 2013. After that, Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) was 19th in the MVP while finishing second in the National League Cy Young Award in 2019 while with the LA Dodgers, and 3rd in the American League Cy Young Award in Toronto in 2020, and was 13th in the MVP.
Ha-seong Kim is unlikely to actually become MVP. However, unlike his seniors, Kim Ha-seong likely received the most MVP votes in Korean major league history, standing alongside true MVP candidates like Acuna Junior and Freeman.
Ha-seong Kim./AFPBBNews=News1 Ha-sung Kim./AFPBBNews=News1 Ha-sung Kim./AFPBBNews=News1
[저작권자 @머니투데이, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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