WS: There's a winning shortstop, why? "Bring Kim Ha-sung." ATL fans want it, too
WS: There's a winning shortstop, why? "Bring Kim Ha-sung." ATL fans want it, too
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Fans of the Atlanta Braves, the strongest team in the East Division of the U.S. Major League Baseball`s National League, hoped to recruit Kim Ha-sung (30), an FA shortstop. He did not care even though Orlando Arcia (31), the shortstop who led the team to victory as soon as it transferred to the trade four years ago, was present.먹튀검증
Atlanta signed a three-year, $42 million (about 60.1 billion won) contract with FA outfielder Jurickson Profar (32) on the 24th (Korea Standard Time). The deal is to receive $12 million (about 17.2 billion won) this year and $15 million (about 21.5 billion won) for the other two years. Last year, Profar played his part in the offense by batting 0.280 (564 at-bats) in 158 games for the San Diego Padres, winning silver sluggers with 24 home runs, 85 RBIs and 10 steals, and OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) of 0.839 (on-base plus slugging percentage).
As a result, Atlanta has built a solid lineup, but rather, there were many public calls for additional recruitment on various SNS such as X (formerly Twitter). In the case of Fox Sports, U.S. media outlet Ronald Acuña Jr. (right fielder), Jurickson Profar (left fielder), Austin Riley (third baseman), Matt Olsen (first baseman), Marcel Ozuna (designated hitter), Michael Harris II (center fielder), Ozzy Albies (second baseman), Sean Murphy (catcher), Orlando Arcia (striker), and posted the expected lineup on SNS, saying, "The nine potential starting members in 2025 look really strong as Atlanta recruited Profar. How high do you think this lineup will be?" Atlanta fans complained about the No. 9 hitter and shortstop Arcia, including, "Now we have to bring Kim Ha-sung," and "Arcia is a trap."
Arcia was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to Atlanta in the 2021 season and led the team to the World Series championship by playing as a key shortstop that year. He has not been outstanding in offense with a batting average of 0.242 (737 hits in 3051 at-bats), 87 homers, 334 RBIs, 43 steals, and an OPS of 0.669. However, he has consistently received opportunities in the big leagues since his debut in 2016 due to his stable defense and some punch power with four double-digit home runs.
He hit 17 home runs in 157 games last year, as well. However, his performance is somewhat disappointing for the team that is seeking to win the World Series by showing increasingly poor performances, including a batting average of 0.218 (120 hits in 551 times at bat) and an on-base percentage of 0.271.
On the same day, the Bleacher Report pointed to Atlanta as a surprise destination for Kim Ha-sung. "For the past three seasons, Arcia's batting productivity has been ordinary," Bleacher Report said. The main second baseman also had a bad shoulder injury. Atlanta is versatile in such a situation, but it seems that it will have to aggressively recruit an infielder who has been significantly reduced due to a shoulder injury.
The infielder mentioned here was Kim Ha-sung. "Kim Ha-sung has clearly proved his versatility during the four big league seasons. He started 285 games at shortstop, 118 games at second base, and 64 games at third base for San Diego, recording a career-high 0.982 ERA and winning the utility Gold Glove in 2023. He also provides productivity with a career batting average of 0.242 on-base plus 0.326 slugging percentage of 0.380.
"If Atlanta recruits Kim Ha-sung and deploys him to shortstop, turns Arcia into Kelenic and left-field platoon, and adds completeness to the power, it could be the winning formula for the Eastern Division of the National League," he added.
According to another U.S. sports statistics media Spotrac, Kim Ha-sung's estimated ransom was $49 million for four years (about 70.1 billion won). It is not a big burden for Atlanta, which had little special recruitment. "Atlanta did not have a notable player recruitment. That's why Kim Ha-sung could be more attractive," Blitzer Report said. "It could be surprising to bring Kim Ha-sung, but it could be of great help to Atlanta's advance to the postseason."