Ha-Seong Kim

Some saw Kim having a good year for a loaded San Diego lineup but we are not aware of anyone who projected him to be the third-best fantasy batter on the team over the course of the full season. Kim set a professional career-best with his 38 steals and also surfaced the power and run-scoring abilities the marketplace hoped for from him in 2022. He has increased his ability to accept walks in each of his three seasons with San Diego and his batting average has improved in kind. His batting average has room for improvement, and it must come from him improving his outputs against righties as he has been a below-average producer against righties (95 wRC+ last season) while excelling against southpaws (148 wRC+ last season.) The triple position eligibility is going to further push up his draft day price for fantasy managers whereas he was one of the more incredible fantasy bargains this time last year.

After looking overmatched the previous season, Kim settled in as the Padres regular shortstop, posting a 105 wRC+ while playing excellent defense. His biggest strides came against curveballs and sliders. In his rookie season, Kim fanned at a 35% clip against breaking pitches, but last season he lowered it to 17%. Kim fanned at a 19% rate both years facing fastballs. He doesn't hit the ball hard, but Kim puts it in play with a pull approach allowing him to take advantage of the shorter distances down the left field line in Petco Park. Kim was successful on 12 of 14 stolen base attempts. He's a candidate to run more as he further acclimated to MLB pitching. It's unclear where Kim will play, as the Padres have some moving parts, including the return of Fernando Tatis, who may move off shortstop. If Kim is a regular, he's mixed-league worthy, but be ready if he doesn't play as much as last season.

After a career of impressive numbers in the KBO, Kim struggled to adjust to the quality of major-league pitching as he hit .160 off non-fastballs and just .230 off the hard stuff. Breaking balls were particularly troublesome for him as he saw them 30% of the time and hit .159/.178/.341 off that pitch classification. His defensive prowess was his saving grace last season. Kim showed the ability to play three positions and was even 6-for-7 in his steal attempts when he did manage to reach base. He is a bottom-of-the-order hitter in his current form, and it will be interesting to see how he and the league adjust to pitchers no longer hitting as Kim was particularly bad hitting in front of pitchers last season (.177/.241/.317). Whereas his value was inflated last season, he is more properly priced in drafts this season.

Kim is something of a rarity as a player coming over from Asia in his mid-20s. The 25-year-old was a star in the KBO, hitting .281 or better in six straight seasons while averaging 26 homers and 26 steals. This past year was his best yet, as he hit a career-high 30 HR while slashing .306/.397/.523 and stealing 23 bases. He also demonstrated excellent control of the strike zone, walking more than he struck out. Showing such a well-rounded skill set while primarily playing shortstop indicates he's definitely ready to make the jump, though there are questions that come with the step up in competition. He's likely a fringy defender at best at shortstop at the MLB level, and he won't be asked to play that position much after signing with the Padres. Kim should close to play every day between second, third and the outfield, and the major-league equivalencies paint him as a solid cross-category asset.