San Diego’s Ha-Sung Kim, 27, has been nominated for Most Hustle Player.
Kim was named the San Diego Padres’ representative on the Major League Baseball Retired Players Association’s (MLBPAA) team-by-team nominations for the 2023 Heart and Hustle Award on Thursday. Established in 2005, the award recognizes the player who best embodies the passion for baseball and the spirit, traditions and values of the game. The winner is determined by a vote of the MLBPAA’s retired players, with the final winner announced in mid-November.
Kim has become a fan favorite this year for his body-saving hustle plays. As San Diego slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. told local media, “Kim’s hustle inspires others to keep going,” and he’s not alone.
His stats this year have been outstanding. In addition to his strong defense, he’s also been a solid offensive player, batting .284 with 15 home runs, 41 RBIs, 60 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases. In particular, he has a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 5.3, according to Baseball-Reference.com through three days. Only Ohtani (7.9) and Acuna Jr. (5.5) have higher numbers than Kim. They are two of the top stars in the big leagues and are favorites to win the American League and National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, respectively.온라인바카
The only other Korean player to be nominated for the Heart and Hustle Award before Kim was Choo Shin-soo (SSG Rangers). He was nominated in 2010 while playing for Cleveland and in 2013 while playing for Cincinnati, but was not selected as the final winner.