San Diego manager Bob Melvin dropped a small hint about his starting lineup on Wednesday after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. He hinted at resting Ha-Sung Kim (28, San Diego).
Speaking to local media, including the San Diego Union-Tribune, Melvin said, “Every time he steps on the field right now, you worry that something is going to happen. “I’m really worried about him,” Melvin told the San Diego Union-Tribune, adding that he was concerned that Kim’s physical strength and style of play could lead to injury. It was a sign that it was time to give him a break.
The San Diego Union-Tribune also reported that “Melvin said several times this season that he would have liked to rest his starters more often, but that he had no choice but to keep the horses running as the Padres tried to make up ground in the standings.” “With the season nearly over, the Padres have a 0.1 percent chance of clinching a wild-card spot, according to FanGraphs,” and that it was time for the Padres to throw the season away. “Today, it’s Kim’s turn,” he said.
It’s safe to say that Kim is now a key player on the team. He can play second base, shortstop, and third base, so he’s perfect for resting the starters. In fact, San Diego has been able to use him as leverage to control the defensive innings of their main players. It’s not just the stats that show it, but also the unseen contributions.
For example, when Xander Bogaerts needed a day off, Kim went to shortstop. Bogaerts would either rest or play designated hitter. If Manny Machado needed a day off, Ha Sung Kim went to third base. With Bogaerts at shortstop, another player at second base, and Machado as the designated hitter, the team was able to utilize him as a pinch hitter. However, there was one aspect of the process that was “abusive” to Kim.
By putting other players in the leadoff spot first, Kim was forced to play a lot of different positions. He started all 48 of the team’s games from July 22 against Detroit to July 12 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and if you include substitute appearances, he played in all 56 games from the last game of the first half on July 10 against the Mets.
In fact, it’s hard to find a precedent for a center fielder to go 56 games without rest. In some cases, the last game of a three-game series is a day game, and most teams rotate their players. Considering this, Kim played a schedule that could have left him exhausted.
However, it was difficult for the team to leave him out. With a limited roster, the team would have lost a lot of strength without him. If the team had a bit of a cushion in the standings, they might have been willing to take that risk and give Kim a break, but that wasn’t the case for San Diego.
At the midway point of the season, the Padres were below .500 and needed to turn things around to make the postseason. Most players, including Kim, needed to stay on the field. This became even more pronounced when the team decided to keep the season alive ahead of the July trade deadline.
In this situation, Kim continued to play, and as a human being, his physical strength inevitably decreased, which in turn hurt his hitting performance.
This is especially true in a position that requires a lot of defense. Kim’s position in center field is one that requires a lot of movement. He has to be prepared for a lot of different plays. After catcher, the second most physically demanding position is usually considered the keystone position (second base and shortstop). This year, Kim played 777⅔ innings at second base, 245⅓ innings at third base, and 128⅓ innings at shortstop. That’s a total of 1151⅓ innings. That’s one of the best defenses in the major leagues 바카라사이트.
On top of that, Kim is also very active on the bases. He already has over 30 stolen bases. There are signs that his hitting has suffered in the process. Kim was hitting at his peak until he started playing back-to-back games. In 27 games in June, he batted .291 with an OPS of .844. In 24 games in July, he hit .337 with an OPS of 1.000.
Since mid-August, however, he hasn’t been hitting as well, dropping to a .273 batting average and .752 OPS in 28 games in August. In 10 games in September, he’s batting just .195 with a .462 OPS. It’s clear that he’s completely exhausted, and it’s showing in the quality of his at-bats.
If the Padres had a little more wiggle room, they could have given Kim a proper rest, which would have fueled his run to the end of the season. But San Diego didn’t have that luxury, and his batting average has dropped to .217 over his last 30 games, bringing his season average to .270. It’s a disappointment, and one that could lead to a change in the playbook for San Diego next year.