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San Diego hired shortstop Xander Bogaerts for 11 years and $280 million in the name of strengthening his batting ahead of the 2023 season and pushed Kim Ha-sung to second base. 토토사이트 추천
However, Bogaerts failed to pay the price properly that year. He only had 19 home runs.
Jake Koronenworth, a former second baseman, had his worst career season with a .229 batting average after he suddenly became a first baseman.
Bogartz became the second baseman by exchanging seats with Kim Ha-sung this year. On top of that, he assumed the heavy responsibility of being the first hitter.
As of Thursday (Korea time), Bogaerts has a batting average of 0.200, an on-base percentage of 0.273 and one home run. He is the first batter to receive 25 million U.S. dollars a year.
CJ Abrams, who competed with Kim Ha-sung for the shortstop position at the beginning of the 2022 season, was the prospect San Diego was raising after Fernando Tatis Jr.
San Diego, where Tatis Jr. was injured and took the shortstop position, made Abrams compete with Kim Ha-sung at the beginning of the season.
However, Kim Ha-sung won the competition and took the shortstop position.
San Diego eventually traded Abrams to the Washington Nationals during the season. Instead, it brought in Juan Soto.
As a result, Abrams' trade ended in defeat. Soto was sluggish due to adaptation issues. San Diego failed to advance to the postseason.
Abandoned by the San Diego Padres, Abrams warmed up in the second half of the season and played full-time in the 2023 season, hitting a .245 batting average with 18 home runs. He also stole 47 bases. Notably, he had 11 home runs and 33 steals in 70 games since the All-Star break.
Then, MLB.COM said before this season, "Abrams is a key Washington player to pay attention to," and expected, "He will be able to play as he did in the second half of last year."
Abrams, who has such a power-speed combo, will become a rising star as a National League shortstop, he said.
As MLB.COM expects, Abrams has been flying around since the start of the season.
As of Friday, he is the first hitter in Washington with a batting average of 0.295 and five homers. He hit a first homer in the top of the first inning against the Dodgers on Sunday.
Abrams' annual salary is only 752,400 U.S. dollars. For Washington, it is a blessing.
According to ABC News, Washington coach Dave Martinez said of Abrams' performance, "It's incredible. In fact, he's been really outstanding. He's getting better and better. Because of his growing confidence, he gives us the innings we need," adding, "What he's done so far has been absolutely brilliant."
Meanwhile, San Diego has secured a player who can grow into a better player than Abrams, although Abrams was missed.
Jackson Merrill, who is 20 years old this year and went straight from Double A to the big league without going through Triple A, is the main character.
Meryl is displaying determination not resembling a rookie player, and has a batting average of 0.333 with one home run and an OPS of 0.845. Meryl is also good in defense. Originally, his defense position was shortstop, but Kim Ha-sung is holding out and is playing center field. If Kim Ha-sung leaves, he seems to have taken charge of shortstop.