San Diego Padres’ Ha-Sung Kim, 28, has been named one of the most surprising players of the season.

MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, named one player from each of nine positions as the most unexpected surprise of the season among the 122 finalists for the All-Star MLB team. Among the eight second basemen, Ha Sung Kim was the surprise nominee.굿모닝토토 주소

MLB.com asked the question, “Who has the highest bWAR in San Diego this season? Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr, Xander Bogaerts, or no one? It’s Ha-Sung Kim, whose 5.8 WAR ranks seventh in the National League (NL) in that category, ahead of Tatis and Soto. On the year, Tatis and Soto have combined for 5.5 WAR and Bogaerts has 4.4, but neither has been able to match Kim.

“His WAR is the second-highest by a San Diego second baseman, behind only Mark Loretta (6.0) in 2004. The 2023 breakout isn’t a surprise for Kim, who posted a 5.0 WAR last year. But this is the year he became a star. “How many people would have predicted that he would be the most valuable player in San Diego’s star-studded lineup?” said one writer.

MLB.com also wrote, “Kim took home a Gold Glove in his first year at second base, setting career highs with 17 home runs and 38 stolen bases. His OAA (Outs Above Average) of +9 ranks in the 96th percentile (top 4 percent).

Kim joins A.J. Albies (Atlanta Braves), Jose Altuve (Houston Astros), Luis Arajuez (Miami Marlins), Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals), Nico Horner (Chicago Cubs), Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks), and Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers) as finalists in the second baseman category.