“I’m going to use him as much as possible” Ryu says Kirk will be his partner against Texas

Toronto Blue Jays starter Hyun-jin Ryu is set to take the mound against the Texas Rangers, but this time with a new catcher.

Toronto manager John Schneider praised catcher Alejandro Kirk in an interview ahead of the Blue Jays’ home game against Texas at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday (Aug. 12), saying, “He’s doing a good job in every way.”

Kirk, an All-Star and Silver Slugger last season and one of the league’s best offensive catchers, has struggled this season, batting just .255 with a .340 on-base percentage and .355 slugging percentage in 105 games, but he has come alive in the second half of the season, hitting .291 with a .822 OPS compared to his first half (.234/.621).

Maybe in a few years, we’ll see an “All-Star” Kim Ha-Sung (28-San Diego Padres). That’s according to a veteran manager with 20 years of experience in the big leagues.
“San Diego manager Bob Melvin said, ‘Kim is expected to be an All-Star player in a few years,'” MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball (MLB), reported on Nov. 11.

Kim’s once-promising bat has fallen off a bit. In his last 30 games through Nov. 11, he was batting just .218 (26-for-119) with two home runs, 16 RBIs and a .604 OPS. Against Houston on Nov. 11, he went 1-for-4, including nearly having a hit stolen on a bad call.

Nevertheless, Kim’s season can still be considered a success. In 139 games this season, he’s batting .271 with 17 home runs, 57 RBI, 34 doubles, and a .779 OPS. While his home run pace has slowed, he is still on track to become the first Asian infielder to join the 20-homer, 20-steal club. His improved batting average, coupled with his stellar defense, helped him break the major league record for most hits in a single season (131).

Kim also reached several milestones this season. He reached base at least twice in every game from July 23 to August 8, tying Ichiro Suzuki’s Asian record for consecutive games with multiple hits (15) set in 2007. He also had a 16-game hitting streak from July 25 against Pittsburgh to August 12 against Arizona, matching the record set by Shin-Soo Choo (41, now SSG) in 2013 with Cincinnati. On April 4, he became the first Korean player to reach the 30-steal plateau in a season.
As a result, Kim’s profile is rising. MLB.com mentioned Kim’s name in its list of candidates for the All-MLB team on Thursday. “San Diego’s most valuable player,” the publication said, adding, “He doesn’t hit for much power, but he makes up for it by hitting it in the right spots. He continues to play solid defense,” the outlet said of Kim. 바카라사이트

In a recent survey of major league managers, scouts, and executives by Baseball America, Kim was ranked as the best defensive player among National League second basemen for the 2023 season.