Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock, “Chugang Daeyeop” Lineup Debate, “Defensive King” Can Kim Ha-sung Enter?

It has become our daily routine to compare and line up in any field. It’s no different in baseball. The most common debate among baseball fans is the “Chugangdaeyeop” debate. They argued over the ranking of Korean hitters who played in the KBO League, Major League Baseball, and Japanese professional baseball. At this point, Choo Shin-soo, Kang Jung-ho, Lee Dae-ho, Lee Seung-yeop, and the so-called “Chugangdaeyeop.”

Choo Shin-soo, who has played 16 years in the Major League, the top league with the best players, has a batting average of 273 with 1,671 hits, 218 home runs, 157 steals, and OPS.824, and has no doubt ranked first. This part has been sorted out.

Kang Jung-ho is second to Choo. The standard was the two years (2015-2016), when he achieved 40 home runs in the KBO League for 먹튀검증 the first time and made a strong impact as an Asian infielder who hit home runs in the Major League. In fact, Kang Jung-ho has 15 home runs in 2015 and 21 home runs in 2016, which is rare for Asian infielders. However, he retired after being sentenced to prison for a history of drinking accidents during the KBO League.

After Kang Jung-ho, Lee Dae-ho, the “4th batter of Joseon,” is next. He earned 467 home runs in his career, MVP of the Japanese Series, and double-digit home runs in the Major League.It is followed by Lee Seung-yeop, a “national hitter” who hit 619 home runs in Korea and Japan, with the most home runs in the KBO league and 159 home runs in eight years on the Japanese professional baseball stage.

Except for Choo Shin-soo, the ranking of Kang Jung-ho, Lee Dae-ho and Lee Seung-yeop is still under debate. It is a simple debate because there are many areas that cannot be compared numerically and the times and situations when they were active should be considered. Nevertheless, it is the fun of baseball fans who appear every time they forget. Now, the sequence of “Chugangdaeyeop” has become a proper noun.

This argument is all about the value of a batter, but recently, even this player has appeared to try to enter the argument seriously. Kim Ha-sung (28, San Diego Padres), a third-year Major League infielder, is writing a career that is enough to participate in the debate and line-up of the best Korean players as a batter and fielder.

Currently, Kim Ha-sung is reborn as the league’s top player in offense and defense in his third year in the Major League. As a second baseman this year, he is batting .254 (68 hits in 265 at-bats), 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, 42 runs scored, and 14 steals in 83 games, recording a classic stat of OPS.752. He is the top 11th-ranked OPS among the league’s second baseman. The wRC+ (adjusted score productivity), which represents batting productivity by applying the stadium and league environment, is 112, ranking seventh in the league (100 is the average). Kim Ha-sung is currently a 12% better hitter than the league average. He is nearing his peak in his third year in the Major League. Of course, the highest score of wRC+ is lower than that of Choo Shin-soo (150 in 2013) and Kang Jung-ho (132 in 2015). Nevertheless, the reason why Kim Ha-sung can participate in this debate is that his value as a defender is outstanding in addition to his value as a batter.

Kang Jung-ho, who was already called the “Peace King,” was also called the “Peace Prince” in the KBO League. Now I’m trying to become a player with a higher status than my senior. Kang Jung-ho played as a third baseman and shortstop for four years in the Major League. Played more games as a third baseman. DRS (Defensive Run Saved) recorded +3 (third baseman +4, shortstop -1) in 2015, -3 (third baseman) in 2016, 0 (third baseman) in 2018, and -1 (third baseman -2, shortstop 1) in 2019. In total, he was a defender, -1, slightly below the league average.

However, Kim Ha-sung is showing off his best defense in the league beyond the league average. In DRS figures, he is +11 at second base, his main position, which ranks first in the league (2nd place Houston Mauricio Duvon +8). It marks +2 as a third baseman and +3 as a shortstop under the concept of “part-time job.” With a total of +16, he is the No. 1 infielder overall. He is also the No. 1 defender in the National League with OAA (Outs Above Average) 11. Kim Ha-sung’s defensive value is no longer disputed in the Major League.

In a game against the LA Angels at Petco Park on the 5th (Korea Standard Time), Kim Ha-sung shocked home fans and colleagues by performing two “circus defense.” Shortstop teammate Bogartz said, “Kim Ha-sung can cover a huge range. “Everyone knows that Kim Ha-sung is good at defense,” he said adding, “Bring Kim Ha-sung a gold glove, you deserve it.” “He’s the best defender,” manager Bob Melvin laughed.

Kim Ha-sung, who also has 10 home runs and 15 steals in the offense, is currently at 20 home runs and 20 steals. If he achieves the record, he will be the second Korean player after Choo Shin-soo and the first Asian infielder. At the current pace, he can solidify his status as the best Asian infielder beyond Kang Jung-ho. And in the “Chugangdaeyeop” debate, he is increasingly pushing for time to stand shoulder to shoulder with his seniors.

It has become our daily routine to compare and line up in any field. It’s no different in baseball. The most common debate among baseball fans is the “Chugangdaeyeop” debate. They argued over the ranking of Korean hitters who played in the KBO League, Major League Baseball, and Japanese professional baseball. At this point, Choo…