Kim Ha-sung, who re-signed with the Atlanta Braves for a year, can you fill in the team’s disappointment?
The U.S. sports media “ESPN” mentioned the performance that should be noted for each club in an article titled “MLB Prediction for the 2026 Season: One Stat that Will Determine the Success or Failure of All National League Teams” on the 26th local time.
As for Atlanta, he mentioned the expected 38 points scored by Atlanta shortstop in the 2025 season, calculated through the wOBA formula of the “PanGraphs.”
사진 확대 Can Kim Ha-sung fill the Atlanta shortstop’s offense that he lacked last season? Photo = Courtesy of Brett Davis-Imagn Images= Yonhap News
The productivity of Atlanta shortstop last season was disappointing.
Nick Allen, who was the main shortstop until Kim Ha-sung came, defended well, but the batting was disappointing. He recorded a batting average of 0.221 on-base percentage of 0.284 slugging percentage of 0.251 in 135 games. There were only 11 long balls.
Atlanta shortstop, including Allen, recorded a batting average of 0.222 on-base percentage of 0.281 and a three-homer double of 15. All three home runs were recorded by Kim Ha-sung.
ESPN said the 38 points made by Atlanta shortstop last season were the lowest among all major league positions in the 2025 season, and the lowest shortstop performance in the past five years since Detroit (37 points) in 2024.
The 18 long balls were also the fewest by position since the 16 recorded by Texas left fielders in the 2022 season.
Kim Ha-sung re-signed with Atlanta for a year and $20 million with a heavy responsibility to fill this lack of productivity.
ESPN said Kim Ha-sung recorded bWAR 5 or more for the second consecutive year in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, recording good defense and a better-than-average on-base percentage, but in the 2024 season, both offense and defense declined and the 2025 season did not show much performance in 48 games.
Of course, Atlanta, and what Kim Ha-sung wants will show the form of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, rebounding from the sluggishness of the past two years.
However, ESPN predicted that Kim Ha-sung will increase his offense power next season, saying that even if he shows as much as his 2024 season performance (0.233/0.330/0.370), he will improve by 30 points compared to last season’s Atlanta shortstop, which is a new offense equivalent to three wins.
[KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Reporter]