‘This is a true story’ Kim Ha-seong has higher July WAR than Ohtani… Local media raves about “Excellent!”

Before the season began, few expected Ha-Sung Kim (28, San Diego) to be the team’s leadoff hitter, and rightfully so, as the Dodgers were loaded with superstars with better offenses than Kim.

Fernando Tatis Jr, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts are the top four in the batting order, all of whom have been paid a ton of money for their All-Star careers. It didn’t seem necessary to include Ha-Sung Kim in the mix, and maybe the player himself thought so, but things have changed, and it’s hard to imagine San Diego’s top of the order without him.바카라사이트

He’s been batting first more often since mid-June, when his hitting started to pick up, and through 30 games in the leadoff spot, he’s batting .305 with a .414 on-base percentage and a .956 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). It’s a small sample size, but a leadoff hitter with a .956 OPS is a rarity, not just in San Diego, but in the entire major leagues. Now there’s no reason to remove Kim from the leadoff spot.

Kim has come on strong in July and is on pace for the best month of his career. His power has continued to explode, and his defense has been solid overall with a few lapses. Now, as we head into the final stretch of the month, the numbers speak for themselves.

Through 30 days, Kim has played in 22 games in July, posting a .333 batting average, a .440 on-base percentage, a .548 slugging percentage, and a .988 OPS. His 28 hits are his highest monthly total of the year, as are his home runs (five) and stolen bases (seven). As a leadoff hitter, he didn’t have many opportunities to get on base, but his .440 slugging percentage is certainly respectable. In addition, July was also a positive month defensively.

He’s tied with Fernando Tatis Jr. for the team lead in batting average.

His July WAR is the fourth-best among league players.

Kim’s July performance is reflected in his Wins Above Replacement (WAR). According to FanGraphs, a specialized statistical site, Kim’s July WAR is 1.5, which ranks fourth among all Major League Baseball players. Only Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs, 1.8), Manny Machado (San Diego, 1.7), and Chas McCormick (Houston, 1.7) are above him.

At one point, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers), and Christian Yelich (Milwaukee) were ahead of Kim as of July, but Kim’s stellar run to the end of the month turned that around. It’s not just about defense. Rather, July was more about the offense. Kim posted a 9.7 offensive rating and a 1.9 defensive rating. His adjusted wRC+ in July is a staggering 175.

While WAR doesn’t tell the whole story of a player’s value, it’s a simple comparison, and Kim’s July performance is by far the best among Asian players. Even Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels), who hasn’t missed the title on a monthly basis this year, is worse than Kim in terms of WAR.

In 21 games in July, Ohtani hit .264 with nine home runs, 14 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 189. Those are still good numbers. However, he’s limited as a designated hitter who doesn’t play defense, so his fielding WAR is 1.1. As a pitcher, he didn’t fare as well, going 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA in four starts. His pitcher WAR in July, as calculated by Fangraphs, was 0. Ohtani, who leads the league in Fangraphs WAR this year, has a combined July WAR of 1.1. Given the number of games remaining, it’s not easy to overtake him.

Even the local media is starting to treat him as a “star” now. Not only is he an integral part of San Diego, but he’s now seen as the one who leads this star-studded team. On July 30, CBS Sports reported that Kim had reached base in all but one game in July off the bench, saying, “He continues to be at the top of the lineup. He’s having an ‘excellent’ month,” and praised him for it.

It’s also positive to see that the graph continues to climb. In the first half of the year, Kim batted .258 with a .760 OPS in 85 games. In the last 15 games of the season, he’s batting .368 with a 1.085 OPS. Despite the “redundant investment” controversy, San Diego was right to select Kim, and now it may be time to prepare for the money.

Kim books the best month of his career

Kim Ha Sung