"NL Gold Glover" Kim Ha-sung's dignity...U.S. Media "May Let TB Stay in the No. 1 Minor League"
"NL Gold Glover" Kim Ha-sung's dignity...U.S. Media "May Let TB Stay in the No. 1 Minor League"
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The U.S. "Sports Illustrated" reported on the 3rd (Korea time) that "the Tampa Bay Rays' top prospect may be hit hard by the recruitment of Kim Ha-sung."먹튀검증
Throughout the stove league, many clubs including the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Detroit Tigers were linked, but Kim Ha-sung signed a surprise free agent contract on the 30th of last month due to shoulder surgery that he underwent last year. The target was the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay guaranteed Kim Ha-sung's first season salary of $13 million (about 19.1 billion won) in his contract, including an incentive of $2 million (about 2.9 billion won) depending on the number of at-bats. And it promised to pay $16 million (about 23.5 billion won) in the 2026 season if Kim Ha-sung does not exercise his right to opt-out.
The contract, which guarantees $29 million (about 42.6 billion won) for two years, was the fifth-largest expenditure in Tampa Bay's history, and Kim Ha-sung quickly became Tampa Bay's "annual salary king" this year. Although he failed to get a large contract worth more than $100 million, he succeeded in signing a not bad contract considering that he underwent shoulder surgery at the end of last year.
After Kim Ha-sung's performance in Tampa Bay was reported, local media interpreted that the biggest reason Tampa Bay recruited Kim Ha-sung was to buy time for Carson Williams, a "special prospect," to grow. This is why Wander Franco, a "genius" who signed an 11-year, $182 million (about 267.4 billion won) mega-contract prior to the 2022 season, was involved in underage sex crimes, virtually disappearing the possibility of returning to the Major League.
As such, Tampa Bay's expectations for Williams are very high. Williams is a promising star who was drafted by Tampa Bay as the 28th overall pick in the first round of the Major League Rookie Draft in 2021. In 2021, his first season in the rookie league, he played only 11 games in the rookie league, but began to stand out in 2022 by recording 114 hits with 19 home runs and a 0.252 OPS of 0.818 in 113 games in Single A.
In 2023, Williams played in a total of 115 games in High Single A, Double A, and Triple A, and posted a batting average of 0.257 OPS of 0.853, and last year, she has been growing steadily in Double A with a batting average of 0.256 OPS of 0.821, 115 games of 111 hits, 20 homers, 69 RBIs and 33 steals. Williams is in the spotlight as she ranked 37th in the Baseball America (BA) promising players last year.
However, as he played only four games in Triple-A, he is not yet worthy of being called by the big leagues. He needs some more time to be appointed as a starting member in the big leagues. As a result, the prevailing view was that Tampa Bay recruited Kim Ha-sung by spending too much money. However, "SI" believed that Kim Ha-sung could block Williams from going forward.
"Kim Ha-sung is in talks from shoulder surgery and is not expected to be ready to play until May. However, if he plays in the game, he could have a big impact on Carson Williams, who is a top prospect," SI said. "The shortstop Williams is known as one of the best defensive prospects in the Minor League. Williams is ready to be promoted to the Major League soon, but if Kim Ha-sung takes over as a shortstop, he may have to temporarily move his position. Or Kim Ha-sung's presence could keep Williams in the Minor League."
For Tampa Bay, in fact, there is no need to rush Williams' call-up. If you make a call-up to give him a major league experience, it only fills the "service time." Unless Tampa Bay uses Kim Ha-sung as a trade card and Kim Ha-sung leaves to find a new destination through opt-out after playing the 2025 season, Tampa Bay is likely to leave Williams in the minor leagues.
"Tampa Bay often emphasizes the versatility of prospects and asks them to go around the field, but Williams has never played in a position other than shortstop," SI said. "Things may change as Williams heads to Triple-A in 2025, but this is only for a short-term backup. Williams will be the starting shortstop for Tampa Bay for many years to come."
Finally, "Williams was the No. 1 promising player in the team in Baseball America. However, once Kim Ha-sung becomes healthy, he will have the upper hand over Williams in shortstop. And this could keep Williams in the minor leagues," he added.