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Kim Ha-seong among finalists for two NL Gold Glove Awards

Published: 19 Oct. 2023, 14:32 Updated: 19 Oct. 2023, 14:34

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

San Diego Padres second baseman Kim Ha-seong throws to first base during the third inning at Petco Park in San Diego, California on Aug. 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

San Diego Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong has been nominated at both second base and utility for the 2023 National League Gold Glove Awards, setting him up to potentially become the first player ever to take the honor in both the MLB and KBO.

Kim is one of the final three nominees for both spots, according to the list published on MLB.com Wednesday.

The 28-year-old shone in the 2023 season, finishing with +10 outs above average (OAA), which is a range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved. He also managed +7 OAA as a second baseman.

The two other nominees for the second base position are Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs and Bryson Stott of the Philadelphia Phillies. Slott had +16 OAA and Hoerner had +15 OAA this season.

Over in the utility position — a newly added category last year that measures players’ defensive versatility — Kim is competing for the award with Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kim played 32 games at third base and 106 games at second base this season.

Betts, on the other hand, played 70 games at second and 16 at shortstop. He has also won six Gold Gloves in right field.

Edman was also the 2021 National League Gold Glove winner at second base and displayed solid defensive versatility last season, managing +10 OAA.

If Kim wins the 2023 Gold Glove, he will become the first player to win both the MLB Gold Glove and KBO Golden Glove — the KBO's version of the award that focuses more on offensive performance than defense.

Kim won the Golden Glove three times from 2018 through 2020 as a shortstop when he played for the Kiwoom Heroes.

Apart from the utility position, 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team will vote from a pool of players in their league, excluding players from their own team, according to the MLB.

The votes will account for 75 percent of the selection, while the rest of 25 percent will come from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Defensive Index counting — used to help select the Gold Glove winners since 2013.

For selecting the winner for the utility position, Rawlings — a sports equipment manufacturing company owned by the MLB — will create a specialized defensive formula with SABR.

The MLB will announce all Gold Glove winners on Nov. 5 through ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight.”

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]