“Ha Sung Kim remains one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball.”
Ha Sung Kim (San Diego Padres) won the National League Gold Glove for utility this year. He proved to be one of the best defensive players in the National League. But he’s a second baseman, not a shortstop, so there’s often talk of him moving back to shortstop.
In fact, The Athletic reported shortly after this season that San Diego asked Bogaerts to change positions. This would have meant a return to shortstop for Ha-Sung Kim. There was no follow-up report, and nothing has been finalized. According to MLB.com on Tuesday, general manager A.J. Preller was cautious, saying it’s something he’ll have to hear from the new manager.
Bogaerts is a good shortstop, but his offense is more important than his defense, which is why he signed an 11-year, $280 million free agent contract. He actually won Silver Slugger awards at shortstop in 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2021, but never a Gold Glove.
“When the Padres signed Bogaerts last winter, they made it clear he was their shortstop through 2023 and didn’t offer any guarantees beyond that,” MLB.com said. “Kim remains the best defensive shortstop in the majors. He has also excelled at second base, but he limited his value by pushing Jake Cronenwirth to first base.”
“We are blessed to have multiple shortstops in the infield who can move around and play multiple positions, but Bogaerts has done a really good job. Honestly, that’s a conversation we’ll start with our new manager. Let’s get his opinion on what’s the best setup for us.”
In effect, we’re leaving it up to the new coach to decide. Based on his defense alone, it makes sense for Kim to move back to shortstop. However, there is nowhere else for Bogaerts to play. If Manny Machado misses the beginning of the 2024 season due to elbow surgery, he could play third base. He has started 53 games at third base in his career. But the last time was in 2014. And Machado will eventually return. 보스토토
Given his bat, it makes sense to send Bogaerts to first base. It’s the least productive position in San Diego’s infield, but we haven’t seen Bogaerts play first base since his major league debut. With Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. on the team, it’s not easy to move a big name out of the position.