To flip or not to flip: Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong ponders as he joins demonstrative club

유지호 / 2021-02-08 14:56:22

S Korean player-MLB

▲ Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres poses for photos in his new Padres jersey during a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 8, 2021, in this photo provided by A-Spec Corp. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres speaks at a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 8, 2021, in this photo provided by A-Spec Corp. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 7, 2020, Kim Ha-seong of the Kiwoom Heroes celebrates his solo home run against the NC Dinos during the bottom of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres speaks at a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 8, 2021, in this photo provided by A-Spec Corp. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korean player-MLB

To flip or not to flip: Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong ponders as he joins demonstrative club

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- San Diego Padres' new South Korean player Kim Ha-seong says he used to flip his bat after home runs "unintentionally," but after seven years as a pro, tossing his stick is no longer a regular feature of Kim's game.

But as he is set to join one of the most demonstrative ball clubs in the majors when it comes to celebrating long balls, Kim may have to channel his younger self.

One of Kim's new teammates in San Diego will be the 22-year-old shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., known as much for his considerable talent as for his dramatic bat flips. Few players in Major League Baseball (MLB) today are as polarizing.

Tatis Jr. is a poster child for MLB's new marketing campaign, titled "Let the Kids Play." Players of his generation and their young fans see nothing wrong with celebrating big moments with emphatic bat tosses.

On the other hand, when old-school observers see exaggerated bat flips, they are often left shaking their heads at such temerity and utter lack of respect for the game. Keep your head down and act like you've been there before, they argue, and don't ever show up your opponents. Pitchers often throw at the batter who flips the bat, or one of his teammates, in retaliation.

Still, Tatis Jr. and his teammates likely won't ever apologize for their bat flips, and Kim could fit right in with the rest of the guys if he can let himself go a bit.

"I've seen Tatis' bat flips, and they looked great," Kim said. "I used to do bat flips before, but now they feel a bit more awkward."

So will he do it or not?

"If I hit a home run in a key situation, I think I will probably flip it, as long as I know I won't get hit by a pitch in the next at-bat or the next game," Kim said.

Bat flips are just a small part of Kim's adjustment to the majors, of course. Kim hit a career-high 30 home runs in his final Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2020, along with 109 RBIs and 23 steals. He'll be hard pressed to match that home run total against major league pitching, but that doesn't mean he won't try.

"I've been trying to bulk up to get ready for the major league season," said Kim, who was listed as 179 centimeters (5-foot-10) and 78 kilograms (172 pounds) at the start of the 2020 KBO season. "I've also tried to see some fast pitches from pitching machines. I'll try to stay healthy and complete the full season without getting hurt."

Kim said he hasn't had much time to study English during the offseason but the Padres will have a tutor ready for him.

"I think life in America could be lonely and I may even get homesick," Kim admitted. "I think it's something I have to overcome. But I'll have a lot of people supporting me along the way, and I think I'll be fine as long as I do my job."

At 25, Kim will be the youngest South Korean player in the majors in 2021. He has formed a strong rapport with Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin. The two share the same agency in South Korea, and Ryu even treated Kim to a dinner during the offseason, fueling speculation that the left-hander was recruiting Kim to join him in Toronto.

Although the Blue Jays did show interest in Kim, the two friends didn't become teammates. They also won't face each other in 2021, but Kim hopes that will change in the near future.

"I'd love to face Hyun-jin someday. When I got to the KBO (in 2014), he was already pitching in the majors," Kim said. "He's one of the best pitchers in the majors. I may not be able to get a hit off him, but I'd still love to be at the plate against him."

Kim could go up against another South Korean pitcher, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals, with both of their teams in the National League. Their teams will play each other six times -- three games in San Diego in May, followed by three more in St. Louis in September.

Kim said he met Kim Kwang-hyun briefly during the offseason, but they didn't talk about the possibility of facing each other.

"I am the youngest Korean player and so I've got to be respectful," Ha-seong said. "It'd be fun to face Korean pitchers. If that happens, I'll try my best to get hits."

(END)