adminAn unexpected contender.
Could the San Diego Padres’ Ha Sung “Awesome Kim” Kim, 28, win the National League Gold Glove for second base this year? Kim played a full season at shortstop last year and was one of three finalists for the National League Gold Glove at shortstop, thanks to his stellar defense. This year, he switched to second base when San Diego acquired Xander Bogaerts, and he’s also a strong Gold Glove candidate.
As of Wednesday, Kim ranks fifth among all outfielders with a 6.1 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per Baseball-Reference, and seventh overall with a 2.1 Defensive WAR. That’s by far the best among National League second basemen.
His DRS of 11 is also one of the best among National League second basemen. DRS is an indicator of how many runs a player prevents with his defense.
However, it’s too early to be 100% optimistic about Kim’s award. On the same day, MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, called Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Bryce Turan, 24, “a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman”.
Tourand, a first-round (21st overall) pick of Milwaukee in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, realized his dream of making his major league debut this year. At the plate, he’s batting .217 with a .286 on-base percentage, .312 slugging percentage, .598 OPS, six home runs and 29 RBIs, but his defense has been solid, with just four errors in 742⅔ innings at second base this year. Originally a shortstop, he has successfully settled in at second base.
According to MLB.com, “Tourand has been a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman this year. His DRS of 9 ranks second all-time among Milwaukee second basemen, behind Craig Counsell’s DRS of 10 in 2009, and there’s still a month left in the regular season for him,” citing his stellar defense as evidenced by his DRS.
However, Tourand is not at the top of the league because of Kim Ha-Sung. “Only San Diego’s Ha-Sung Kim has better numbers this season,” MLB.com wrote.
However, it’s worth noting that Tourand has a 3.7 UZR, another measure of defense, which ranks first among National League second basemen. The Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryson Stott is next with a 3.4 UZR, followed by Ha-Sung Kim at 2.5.
Milwaukee manager Counsell said of Tourand, who is playing second base like he did in his career, “He keeps runs off the board. He doesn’t give them big innings. He’s a very special player.”바카라사이트
Will a rookie who just made his debut this year be an obstacle for Kim to win the award? Kim has played 91 games and 728⅔ innings at second base this year, 27 games and 217⅓ innings at third base, and 16 games and 127⅓ innings at shortstop. Even if he doesn’t win the Gold Glove as a second baseman, he’ll still have a shot at winning the Gold Glove as a utility player, which was added last year. Will he win the Gold Glove this year?