March 21, 2021

San Diego Padres shortstop/second baseman Ha-Seong Kim comes over to the United States in 2021 after a successful career in Korea. The 25-year-old slashed .306/.397/.523 with 30 home runs and 23 steals last season, showing off his power/speed skills. He also has experience at third base and will be a utility infielder for the Friars, but most of his playing time is expected to come at second base while sharing time with Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar. There's a lot to like about Kim's skill set with the lumber and on the bases, and he's just 25 years old, but until we have a better idea of how much playing time he'll receive, it's hard to recommend him as anything more than a modest middle-infield power/speed threat in the later rounds of mixed leagues. Spring Training production doesn't typically matter but it's important for a player like Kim, who's competing for playing time. Kim and Cronenworth have roughly taken the same amount of at-bats this spring with 26 and 28 AB's, respectively. Cronenworth is slashing .321/.406/.429 to Kim's .115/.233/.115. They'll open the season in a platoon but it wouldn't be surprising to see Kim take more of a backseat to Cronenwroth, at least to start. Although he'll likely hit near the bottom of the San Diego batting order when he is in the lineup, Kim could have more chances to drive in and score runs in the loaded Padres lineup. He's still an attractive fantasy option at second base, which isn't very deep.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller