'Awesome Kim' Ha-seong Kim, First Korean to Win MLB Gold Glove Award

Kim Ha-seong (28) of the San Diego Padres became the first Korean player to win a Gold Glove in MLB (Major League Baseball).

Kim Ha-seong playing for the San Diego Padres. Photo by AP/ Yonhap [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 6th, Kim Ha-seong was named the winner in the utility category on the Gold Glove recipient list announced by the MLB office and Gold Glove sponsor Rawlings. The Gold Glove is an award given annually to the best defensive player at each position in MLB.

Previously, Kim Ha-seong was a finalist in the National League's second baseman and utility categories. He was selected as a Gold Glove finalist for the second consecutive year following last year.

Kim Ha-seong was among the final three candidates for the National League (NL) second baseman category alongside Nico Hoerner (26, Chicago Cubs) and Bryson Stott (26, Philadelphia Phillies), and in the utility category alongside Mookie Betts (31, LA Dodgers) and Korean-American Tommy Edman (28, St. Louis Cardinals).

Although he lost out to Hoerner in the second baseman category, he won the award in the utility category, beating Betts and Edman.

This season, Kim Ha-seong solidly defended the infield while playing multiple positions. He appeared in 106 games as a second baseman (98 starts, 856 and 2/3 innings). He played 32 games as a third baseman (29 starts, 253 and 1/3 innings) and 20 games as a shortstop (16 starts, 153 and 1/3 innings).

His fielding percentage was highest at second base with 0.991, and he also posted strong numbers at third base (0.986) and shortstop (0.966). With his hustle plays and stable defense, Kim Ha-seong earned the nickname "Awesome Kim."

With this award, Kim Ha-seong became the second Asian player in history to receive the Gold Glove honor, following Japan's Ichiro Suzuki.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.