San Diego Padres pitcher Kim Ha-sung (28) encouraged his juniors to challenge the major leagues in the future.

Kim received this year's special award at the '2023 Professional Baseball Sports Seoul Award' ceremony held at the Elena Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul on March 30.

Kim, who began his professional career with Kiwoom in 2014, was the best shortstop in the KBO through 2020, batting .294 with 133 home runs, 575 RBIs, 606 runs scored, 134 doubles, and an OPS of .866 in 891 games (3,195 at-bats, 940 hits). Based on his performance in South Korea, Kim signed a four-year, $28 million guaranteed contract with San Diego, fulfilling his dream of making it to the major leagues.

After struggling somewhat in his first year in the majors, Kim has since put his disappointing rookie season behind him and has begun to establish himself in the majors. Last year, with Fernando Tatis Jr. unable to play a game due to injury and an 80-game suspension for a banned substance, he took advantage of the opportunity to be the starting shortstop.

When the Padres signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal last winter, Kim was pushed to second base, where he performed even better. In 152 games, he batted .538 (17-for-140) with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 84 runs scored, 38 doubles, and a .749 OPS, and his defense was top-notch, playing 106 games (856⅔ innings) at second base, 32 games (253⅓ innings) at third base, and 20 games (153⅓ innings) at shortstop. A finalist for the National League Gold Glove in the Second Base and Utility categories, Kim won the Gold Glove in the Yuli category, becoming the first Korean player and first Asian infielder to win a Gold Glove.

"I received a lot of help to win the Gold Glove. I'm grateful to my managers and coaches for instilling the basics of defense in me as an amateur and now as a professional. I'm really happy and will try to win more Gold Gloves in the future," said Kim. "I'm also very grateful to coach Bob Melvin, who has since moved on to another team, but who kept giving me opportunities." 카지노

Kim's junior, Lee Jung-hoo, will try his hand at the major leagues this winter with the Postal Service. LG closer Ko Woo-seok also announced his intention to play in the major leagues through a post. Next year, Kim Hae-sung's Kiwoom junior, Kim Hye-sung, will also try his hand at the major leagues.

"Kim Ha-sung is also playing in the U.S., so I hope that juniors can dream bigger and challenge with a light heart," he said. "I think there are many juniors in Korea who can do better than me, and I think they can be more successful than me. I hope they will challenge a lot,"

Kim's affection for fellow infielder Kim Hye-sung is especially evident. At the Gold Glove press conference, Kim said, "I personally think that Kim Hye-sung will be the next candidate after me. I watched the APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship), and I thought she was different from players her age. I think she will be a better player than me if she grows up well. He is a very sincere player and has a great passion for baseball. She keeps in touch with me and asks me a lot of questions. It seems that Hye-sung also has major league aspirations. I know she'll be posting next year, but I'd like to see her play in the major leagues," he said.

Kim Hye-sung, who played for her country at the Hangzhou Asian Games and APBC this year, said, "I think it's because we're from the same team. He's a very serious person. I'm really grateful. I admire him and envy him because he won the Gold Glove on such a big stage. He mentioned me, and I want to go and do well to prove that he wasn't wrong. Of course, I want to go to the U.S., and I want to improve my skills and go to the U.S. like Ha Sung and (Lee) Jung-hoo," he said, sharing his dreams for a bigger stage.