Kim Hae-sung Can’t get second base? Fate, rivalry ‘the biggest obstacle’ as he learned from the same teacher
Bryson Stott (26-Philadelphia Phillies), who is a finalist for the National League (NL) Gold Glove for second baseman along with Ha Sung Kim (28-San Diego Padres), will win the award. That’s according to local Philadelphia media.
“The Phillies have four players on the Gold Glove shortlist,” NBCSports Philadelphia reported on Tuesday, adding, “Stott is the favorite to win the NL second baseman award. The other finalists are Nico Horner (Chicago Cubs) and Ha-Sung Kim.
“Stott is first among second basemen in OAA (Outs Above Average), a Statcast metric, at +16. He is tied for fifth among all positions,” the organization said in justifying Stott’s award. Stott is followed by Horner (+15) and Ha-Sung Kim (+10) in OAA.
However, the Gold Glove is not awarded based on OAA. Major League Baseball managers from each of the 30 clubs and up to six coaches per team cast 75% of the votes, excluding players. The remaining 25 percent is reflected in the Society for American Baseball Research’s (SABR) Defensive Rating (SDI), which, as of its last update on August 14, ranked Kim (8.3) first among NL second basemen, ahead of Stott (6.4) and Horner (5.7). He’s ahead in the real metrics that count in voting.
Subjective evaluations weigh far more heavily than objective records. On March 7, Baseball America (BA) announced the best tools in each category for the 2023 season as voted on by current managers, scouts, and senior executives, and Kim was the top NL second baseman. Horner was second, A.J. Albies (Atlanta Braves) was third, and Stott was not on the list.
Stott also hid his Gold Glove aspirations. In an official interview before Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, Stott said of being a Gold Glove finalist, “It’s really cool, but it’s not a trophy I want. Right now, I have my eyes on bigger trophies with the team. An individual award would be nice, but it’s not something I’m particularly looking for.”
The Phillies are currently 2 games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS, looking to advance to the World Series for the second straight year. After a disappointing runner-up finish last year, Stott is even more hungry for a championship. “Right now, it’s about focusing on the team and playing our game,” he said.
The right-handed hitting infielder, who was selected by the Phillies with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 draft, made his major league debut last year. After a solid season at shortstop, he moved to second base when free agent Trey Turner signed a massive 11-year, 먹튀검증토토사이트 $300 million deal. He’s settled in nicely at second base this season, forming a special keystone duo with Turner.
They are both middle infielders, but it’s a very different position and an adjustment. During the transition, Stott credits infield coach Bobby Dickerson for teaching her the defensive skills needed at second base, including one-handed plays and base coverage. Dickerson, a former infielder himself, has a special connection to Kim. He coached Kim’s defense in San Diego in 2021.
In an interview with ‘The Athletic’ on March 9, Kim thanked Dickerson, saying, “He helped me develop my defense to the big league level and grow a lot as a player. I think it’s a special relationship.” Dickerson, who recalled that Kim “always had a twinkle in his eye and listened to me,” moved to Philadelphia last year and turned Stott into a Gold Glove-caliber defender in two years.
Stott took a step up at the plate this year, batting .258 (164-for-585) with 15 home runs, 62 RBIs, 31 doubles and a .747 OPS in 151 games. In the postseason, he’s been a bit more subdued, batting 2-for-6 (7-for-34) with one home run, seven RBIs, and a .576 OPS in 10 games. However, he made a strong impression with his sixth-inning walk-off home run in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Miami Marlins on May 5.
