[MLB Report] Player Analysis: Ha-Seong Kim

Straight out of KBO (Korean Baseball Organization), Ha-Seong Kim, a skillful shortstop from Kiwoom Heroes known for his great hitting ability and power as a shortstop, made a 4 yr(s) / $28mil contract with San Diego Padres. It had been over 5 years since a KBO position player went to MLB, after Jeong-ho Kang. Despite many people’s doubt about Kim’s ability to succeed in MLB, he had a solid season, with a surprisingly great fielding ability, which he was not known for in his years in KBO. however, going against fire-ballers who throw over 95 mph was a severe difficulty for him, making his hitting average under 0.250 for the first two seasons. However, in this 2023 MLB season, he is one of the most productive players in the league and is the most beloved player in the Padres organization thanks to his determination and massive improvement. The question is: how did he develop to be such a great contact hitter?

First, let’s look at his hitting mechanics changed from KBO to this season in MLB. 

As can be seen in these photos of Ha-Seong Kim’s hitting mechanism, his arms started from above his elbow line. By this, he was able to generate more power from the back. Also, he twisted his waistline and used the power of separation to hit the ball with more power, creating a longer swing path from the back. However, one disadvantage of his hitting mechanism could be that because the swing path is big, it is hard to get the right timing, especially fastballs from fire-ballers. In fact, his 2021 batting average against a four-seam fastball was 0.153. This meant that his hitting mechanism worked very well against pitchers in KBO who throw 89.602mph, but against MLB pitchers who throw fastballs with an average velocity of about 93mph frequently 95mph also, Kim had a really hard time coping with this new experience.

To remedy his biggest problem, he changed his swing mechanism in his off-season. 

As can be seen from these photos taken during his preseason, there is a very huge difference between his hitting mechanism in KBO and that in MLB: first of all, his hand/arm position got much lower than before. Additionally, it can be seen that he reduced the amount of power generated from the separation of the upper and lower body; rather, he now uses the power of weight shift to have a more effective swing with a shorter swing path, meaning that he is now able to go against pitchers who throw over 95mph. In fact, Kim’s batting average in the 2023 season against a fastball went up to 0.271, which is considered a massive improvement. On the other hand, his shorter swing path resulted in producing comparatively slow hits (9th percentile in hard hits) in the 2023 season. However, his general ability to contact the ball improved a lot: 

Excerpted from baseballsavant.mlb.com, his general ability of plate discipline and contact is insane. His walk percentage (BB%) exceeds strikeout percentage (K%) tremendously, and his ability to contact the ball when he swings (84 percentile) are paramount stats to observe, given that it is only his 3rd year batting against MLB pitchers with better pitching quality than KBO pitchers. Also, his extremely high chase rate shows that his ability to identify strikes and balls is among the top in MLB. These stats are concluded in Kim’s high OBP (0.380), which contributes massively to the team’s offense as the 1st batter. Also, his ability to purely hit the ball and his considerable speed made his batting average go up to (0.286 as of August 13th) even though his exit velocity and the quality of the ball hit were very low compared to other hitters in MLB.

To sum up, Kim’s quick adaptation to MLB pitchers and his adjustments accordingly made him a better hitter. His determination during his at-bat, his perfect role as the 1st hitter of the team, and his insane defensive ability make him one of the most beloved baseball players in the Padres organization. At the age of 25, I believe his journey has just begun, and I hope he improves more to become the league-leading shortstop in MLB soon.