This year, Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) has been swinging less than in previous years.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on the 3rd (Korean time), "Kim Ha-seong is one of the pickiest hitters in Major League Baseball. His discipline has been particularly noticeable this season," noting, "No player in MLB has swung at strikes less than Kim Ha-seong in 2024. Through the 3rd, he has swung at only 51.6% of pitches in the strike zone and 17.9% of pitches outside the zone, the fifth-lowest in MLB." According to FanGraphs, the league averages are about 65% for pitches in the zone and around 30% for pitches outside the zone.

From his rookie season in 2021 through 2023, Kim Ha-seong recorded a 56.4% swing rate at pitches in the zone (7th in MLB) and a 22.5% rate at pitches outside the zone (36th).

Kim Ha-seong commented, "I always think there's room for improvement. But I've always performed better when I didn't swing at bad pitches," adding, "So I think it can be seen positively."

Overall, Kim Ha-seong's offensive stats this season are not impressive. Through June, he has a slash line of .228/.336/.388 with 10 home runs. While slightly ahead of last year's home run pace (17), it's much lower than his 2023 line of .260/.351/.398.

Kim Ha-seong acknowledged, "My offensive performance hasn't met my standards and expectations. But as the season progresses, it seems to be getting better."

Recently, Kim Ha-seong has become even more selective, swinging at only 50% of pitches in the zone and 16% of pitches outside the zone over his last 25 games. However, he has drawn more walks, recording 11 walks and only 7 hits in 58 plate appearances from June 5 to 21.

Lately, his hit numbers have increased. Before the game on the 3rd, he had a 9-game hitting streak with a .344 average (11 hits in 32 at-bats) and a .400 on-base percentage.

Conventionally, pitches in the strike zone should be hit, and pitches outside should be watched. But Kim Ha-seong tends to watch both, raising concerns that his excessive caution might cause him to miss opportunities to hit.먹튀검증