After reaching the 10-homer plateau before the first half was over, Kim Ha-Sung (27-San Diego Padres) surpassed 4.0 WAR (Wins Above Replacement). He ranks fifth in the majors in total offense and fourth in fielding.

Kim batted first and second in the lineup against the Cincinnati Reds on March 3 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, and went 1-for-3 with a home run, his 10th of the season, one RBI and one walk in a multi-hit performance. After hitting 11 home runs last year, it was his second straight year of double-digit home runs and he is on pace to reach 20, which is arithmetically possible.

In the second inning, he fielded Jake Pralley’s deep fly to right field and made a precise throw to first base for the out, even as his body spun around. In the eighth inning, he made a quick dive on a slow grounder by Spencer Steer and made a running throw to first for the out.

Through 80 games on the season, Kim is batting .346 (66-for-256) with 10 home runs, 31 RBI, 39 runs scored, 35 walks, 67 strikeouts, 13 stolen bases, a .418 slugging percentage and a .764 OPS.

His WAR per Baseball-Reference rose to 4.0. Only Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels, 6.7), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves, 4.8), Wander Franco (Tampa Bay Rays, 4.2), and Lewis Roberts Jr. (Chicago White Sox, 4.0) are higher than Kim at fifth overall in the majors.

In terms of WAR, Kim has a higher WAR than Ohtani. Oh, who ranks ninth overall with a 2.7 WAR, is just behind Kim with a 3.9 WAR. Oh’s batting performance is superior, as he leads all players in the category with 31 home runs, but Kim’s contributions on defense are more significant. His 2.0 defensive WAR ranks first overall.

Despite playing as a backup in his first year in the majors in 2021, Kim contributed a solid 2.1 WAR. Last year, he ranked 29th overall among outfielders with 5.0. On the team, he was second behind Manny Machado (6.8). This year, he’s tops in San Diego, ahead of stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. (3.7) and Juan Soto (3.5).바카라사이트

He’s moved from shortstop to second base this year, but his defensive contributions are still high. Add to that his improved batting performance, and his WAR number has topped 4.0 before the first half is over. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he breaks Shin-Soo Choo’s record of 5.9 WAR for the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) in 2010.