Ha-Seong Kim, by any evaluation, was one of the best, most complete players on the free agent market this winter. Padres, by any evaluation, already had one of the best, most complete lands. Obviously it wasn’t a deterrent. Quite the opposite, actually. Kim and her parents are clearly a
Padres, by any evaluation, already had one of the best, most complete lands.
Obviously it was not a deterrent. Quite the opposite, actually. Kim and Padres are clearly a good match.
On Tuesday night, Padres held an introductory video conference for Kim, who last week signed a four-year, $ 28 million deal. Kim immediately cut a confident face, proclaiming her parents as World Series competitors and setting her goal of winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2021.
Ha-Seong Kim’s dream comes true in San Diego. pic.twitter.com/w7fIivzQHh
– San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 6, 2021
Kim began her press conference by reading a statement in which she tilted her cap to all the Padres starting from the field – Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Eric Hosmer – calling them “great talents”. Almost instantly, Kim was asked why she would choose to join a field with beginners returning to all four places.
“Padre is not just a competitor, but [could] become the World Series champion this year, “Kim said in Korean through an interpreter.” I want to be part of a winning team. That’s why I joined the San Diego Padres. I can play any position on the field. “
This is exactly the role that parents want Kim to play. As I see it, there is plenty of room for a versatile infielder. Players are injured. Players need days off. The players are collapsing.
And, of course, if all five field owners are healthy at the same time and all five need a place on the starting line, it’s still possible for Cronenworth or Kim to take a look at the field. But that will be taken care of later.
“We’re going to get to Spring Training, we’re really going to start digging more when we have everyone on the field,” Preller said. “We have a lot of confidence that we have players who will be able to move.
“Again, it goes from 60 games to [162] Games. We talked a lot about this as a group here. Last year was really a sprint. This year he returns to a marathon. … We will keep our players fresh. “
Although Kim played shortstop and third base mainly in Korea, he is likely to see most of his action at second base with the Padres. Kim could serve in a platoon with Cronenworth, who hit the left.
But Cronenworth brings a similar type of versatility, having played all four positions on the field last season. It seems more likely that both continue to play regularly, as parents give players – and perhaps outfielders – regular breathing through the movement of Cronenworth and Kim around the field.
“We will look at all the possible options and we will realize,” Preller said. “But initially and right outside the gate, we see [Kim] as an infielder “.
Kim’s glove is not at the level of Cronenworth, who is shaping up as an elite limit defender at four positions. But the parents expect an above-average defense from Kim at second base. He also expects big things on the plate. Kim beat .306 / .397 / .523 with 30 homers in KBO last season.
It is a complement to a crime that returns beginners to all eight positions and prides itself on the best baseball field. Kim quickly noticed how eager she was to work with the current Padres quartet.
“These are great players,” he said. “They have more experience. Only by training with them and playing with them will I learn and develop as a player.”
Kim spent most of the press conference stirring up conflicting emotions – humiliation for an opportunity she called “my dream” and an endless source of trust that she will make the most of.
Of course, there is no lack of trust in the Padres field. As Blake Snell, the new acquisition, noted last week, Padres could be the “biggest” team in the league. Kim, whose bat overturns Tatis’s, clearly intends to add to that.
“It’s really my honor to join the San Diego Padres, the best Major League Baseball team with tremendous firepower and excellent pitch,” Kim said. “2021 will be an amazing year – for me and my parents.”
Daring. Nowadays, that’s how parents like it.
AJ Cassavell covers Padres for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajcassavell.