Ha-seong Kim

Ha-seong Kim
Kim with the San Diego Padres in 2021
Free Agent
Infielder
Born: (1995-10-17) October 17, 1995 (age 29)
Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Professional debut
KBO: May 16, 2014, for the Nexen Heroes
MLB: April 1, 2021, for the San Diego Padres
KBO statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.292
Home runs133
Runs batted in575
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.242
Home runs47
Runs batted in200
Stolen bases78
Teams
Career highlights and awards
KBO
MLB
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  South Korea
WBSC Premier12
Silver medal – second place 2019 Tokyo Team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta Team
Asia Professional Baseball Championship
Silver medal – second place 2017 Tokyo Team
Ha-seong Kim
Hangul
김하성
Hanja
金河成
Revised RomanizationGim Haseong
McCune–ReischauerKim Hasŏng

Ha-seong Kim (Korean: 김하성; born October 17, 1995) is a South Korean professional baseball infielder who is a free-agent. Kim was drafted 41st overall by the Nexen Heroes in the 2014 Korea Baseball Organization Draft. He made his KBO debut with the Heroes in May 2014 and won the KBO Golden Glove Award in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In December 2020, Kim signed with the San Diego Padres, and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2021. In 2023, Kim became the first Korean-born player to win a Gold Glove Award.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Kim was born on October 17, 1995, in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, the youngest of three children.

Kim attended Yatap High School in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, and in 2013 led his high school to a runner-up finish in the National High school Baseball Tournament. In his final high school baseball season, Kim hit for a .375 batting average and recorded a .477 on base percentage along with 20 base steals.[2]

Professional career

[edit]

Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes

[edit]

Kim was drafted by the Nexen Heroes with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 Korea Baseball Organization Draft. On May 18, He made his KBO debut against the Lotte Giants. He hit a double on his first at-bat, and a triple on his second at-bat. On June 4, Kim hit his first career home run in a 20–3 loss against the NC Dinos. In the 2014 postseason, he appeared once as a pinch runner against the Samsung Lions.

Kim with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019

Batting .290 with 19 home runs and 73 RBIs, Kim was the starting shortstop at the 2015 KBO All-Star Game.[3] He recorded his 10th stolen base on June 12, 2015 against the KT Wiz in a 12–8 loss. He recorded his 20th stolen base on September 21, 2015 in a win against the NC Dinos. He hit his 19th home run on September 23, 2015 against the SK Wyverns. He finished the season with 19 home runs and 22 stolen bases, just one home run short of a 20–20.

Before the start of the 2016 season, Kim signed a one-year ₩160 million contract extension with the Nexen Heroes.[4] Kim played all 144 games in the 2016 regular season while batting .281 with 20 home runs and 84 RBIs to go along with 28 stolen bases. Kim was selected as an All-Star for the second time in his third year. Kim was the starting shortstop at the 2016 KBO All-Star Game. He recorded his 20th home run on September 20, 2016 against the KIA Tigers. This home run made him the third shortshop in KBO history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the regular season.

Kim won the KBO League Golden Glove Award in three consecutive years, from 2018 to 2020.

After the 2020 season, on November 25, 2020, the Heroes announced it was allowing Kim to enter the posting system to play in Major League Baseball (MLB).[5]

San Diego Padres

[edit]

On December 31, 2020, Kim signed with the San Diego Padres of MLB[6] for a four-year, $28 million deal, including a mutual option for the 2025 season.[7]

Kim made his major-league debut on April 1, 2021. He pinch hit for Emilio Pagán, and struck out against Alex Young of the Arizona Diamondbacks.[8] Kim hit his first MLB home run in a 7–4 victory over the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas on April 10, 2021.[9] On June 19, after the Padres lost Fernando Tatis Jr. due to injury, Kim hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Padres to a 7–5 victory against the Cincinnati Reds.[10] Kim saw increased playing time at shortstop for the Padres after Tatis was placed on the injured list in late July 2021. On August 1, Kim hit a home run and drove in an MLB-career high three runs in his first game filling in for Tatis at shortstop.[11] Kim finished the 2021 season batting .202 with eight home runs, 34 RBIs, and six stolen bases in 117 games.

On August 26, 2022, Kim had a career-high five RBI in a game against the Kansas City Royals.[12] Kim finished the 2022 season with a .251 batting average, 11 home runs, 59 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and a .708 OPS in 150 games played. He mostly played as a shortstop in the season, filling in for Tatis after he was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.

On April 3, 2023, Kim hit his first major-league career walk-off home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks following a solo home run by pinch hitter David Dahl.[13]

On July 24, 2023, Kim hit his first major league career multi-home-run game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On August 21, 2023, Kim hit his first major league grand slam against Miami Marlins pitcher, Ryan Weathers, who was traded to Miami from San Diego just three weeks prior.

After the 2023 season, Kim received the National League Gold Glove Award for utility players, becoming the first Korean player to win a Gold Glove.[14]

On August 30, 2024 Kim won the lawsuit against ex-baseball player Lim Hye Dong for breach of contract. The Seoul Central District Court ordered Lim to pay ₩800 million ($594,000 USD) to Kim.[15] Due to shoulder surgery, Kim missed the Padres' 2024 postseason run.[16] On October 3, 2024, Kim hired Scott Boras to represent him in free agency.

International career

[edit]

Kim represented the South Korea national baseball team at the 2013 18U Baseball World Cup,[17] 2017 World Baseball Classic,[18]2017 Asia Professional Baseball Championship, 2018 Asian Games[19] and 2019 WBSC Premier12.

In 2013 18U Baseball World Cup, Kim batted .433, going 13-for-30, driving in three RBIs and scoring 9 runs.[20] South Korea finished 5th in the tournament.

In 2019 WBSC Premier12, Kim was named the best shortstop.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Padres' Kim Ha-seong becomes 1st Korean to win Gold Glove". Korea Times. November 6, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Kim Ha-Seong HS Stats". HS Baseball Korea.
  3. ^ tf.co.kr (July 8, 2015). "2015 KBO 올스타전 명단 확정...손민한 최고령 출전 경신". 더팩트 (in Korean). Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "김하성 "2016년, 골든글러브+20홈런-20도루 목표 도전"". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). December 30, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "KBO에 김하성 MLB 포스팅 공시 요청". KIWOOM HEROES (in Korean). November 25, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Padres sign Ha-Seong Kim to four-year contract". MLB.com. December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Padres reach 4-year deal with KBO star Kim". ESPN.com. December 28, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "Search results". www.google.com. [better source needed]
  9. ^ "Kim Ha-seong hits his first major league home run". Korea JoongAng Daily. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Kim delivers go-ahead homer with Tatis out". MLB.com.
  11. ^ Sanders, Jeff (August 1, 2021). "Padres piece it together to beat Rockies, salvage series split". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Padres vs. Royals – Box Score – August 26, 2022 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Padres walk-off: No. 8 and 9 hitters David Dahl and Ha-seong Kim go back-to-back over Diamondbacks". www.cbssports.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  14. ^ "Padres' Kim Ha-seong becomes 1st Korean to win Gold Glove". November 6, 2023.
  15. ^ "Ex-baseball player ordered to pay W800m won to Padres' Kim Ha-seong in contract dispute case". koreaherald.com. August 31, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Cassavell, AJ. "Kim needs shoulder surgery, won't return for postseason". MLB.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "XXVI U-18 Baseball World Cup 2013 – The official site – WBSC". u18bwc.wbsc.org. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "World Baseball Classic 2017 rosters: Posey, Stanton, McCutchen headline Team USA". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "2018 자카르타-팔렘방 아시안게임 야구 국가대표팀 최종 엔트리 확정" (in Korean). Korea Baseball Organization. June 11, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  20. ^ "XXVI U-18 Baseball World Cup 2013 – The official site – WBSC". u18bwc.wbsc.org. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  21. ^ 유, 지호 (November 17, 2019). "(Premier12) 2 S. Koreans named to tournament All-Star team". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
[edit]