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Wow, Kim is untouchable

cm1290

By cm1290
in Orioles Talk

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Aristotelian Hangout Grand Counsel

Aristotelian

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ORIOLE WALK RATES (through 6/8)

14.7 Chris Davis

12.5 Ryan Flaherty

11.1 Pedro Alvarez

10.2 Nolan Reimold

9.7 Manny Machado

9.2 Hyun Soo-Kim

8.3 Paul Janish

8.3 Francisco Pena

7.3 Joey Rickard

7.0 J.J. HardyH

7.0 Caleb Joseph

6.6 Adam Jones

6.5 Matt Wieters

6.5 Mark Trumbo

3.6 Jonathan Schoop

Kim is only part of the puzzle.. but team OBP is vastly improved. The team is 7th in the AL in walks... but more telling, they are 7th in batting average and 4th in OBP.

What doesn't come across in walk rate or PPA is his pitch selection. Davis may walk more, but still ends up swinging at tons of bad pitches. Kim seems to have an uncanny ability to get good pitches to hit and make good contact even when he makes outs. His second AB last night was a case in point. Waited for his pitch, squared up a line drive that went right to the spot where the CF was playing. That's why his hit velocity and BABIP stats are off the charts. Maybe they will come down, but they are in part a reflection of his approach.

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25 Nuggets Hangout Grand Counsel

25 Nuggets

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What doesn't come across in walk rate or PPA is his pitch selection. Davis may walk more, but still ends up swinging at tons of bad pitches. Kim seems to have an uncanny ability to get good pitches to hit and make good contact even when he makes outs. His second AB last night was a case in point. Waited for his pitch, squared up a line drive that went right to the spot where the CF was playing. That's why his hit velocity and BABIP stats are off the charts. Maybe they will come down, but they are in part a reflection of his approach.

Agreed. His approach is a great compliment to the lineup.

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Frobby Hangout Grand Counsel

Frobby

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I'm developing a serious man-crush on Kim. His strike zone judgment seems to be getting better every game, he seems to have a really good ability to hit the ball in the direction he wants, and he seems more balanced at the plate than he did at the beginning of the year. It looks to me like we are getting exactly the player we were hoping for. No, he won't hit .366, but .280ish with good plate discipline will work just fine for $3.5 mm/yr.

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Redskins Rick Hangout Grand Counsel

Redskins Rick

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I'm developing a serious man-crush on Kim. His strike zone judgment seems to be getting better every game, he seems to have a really good ability to hit the ball in the direction he wants, and he seems more balanced at the plate than he did at the beginning of the year. It looks to me like we are getting exactly the player we were hoping for. No, he won't hit .366, but .280ish with good plate discipline will work just fine for $3.5 mm/yr.

His always smiling, seams to be a good influence in the dugout with his teammates. He must really love the game that he is being paid to play.

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JKOriole AAA

JKOriole

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I'm developing a serious man-crush on Kim. His strike zone judgment seems to be getting better every game, he seems to have a really good ability to hit the ball in the direction he wants, and he seems more balanced at the plate than he did at the beginning of the year. It looks to me like we are getting exactly the player we were hoping for. No, he won't hit .366, but .280ish with good plate discipline will work just fine for $3.5 mm/yr.

I think I've watched all his ABs. He has one of the best if not the best eye on the team. He rarely swings at balls out of the zone (incl. that low breaking ball inside that so many of our hitters flail at). The one type of pitch I have seen him swing at frequently out of the zone however is the 12 to 6 breaking ball that falls low out of the strike zone. You see him start to swing and think he's gonna whiff but he somehow gets the bat on the ball anyway. Not sure if that's a pitch he just likes to hit or he has just been good at making contact regardless

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canonfaz All-Star

canonfaz

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I really hope that Kim learns to speak a little english and is comfortable enough to give some answer on his own during interviews. I feel like a lot of his sense of humor and emotion gets lost in generic translation. He seems like a fun guy.

He reminds me some of Evgeni Malkin on the Pittsburgh Penguins for some reason (completely different sports, I know). But, both seem like fun outgoing players. And if Kim's interviews can be half as entertaining as Malkin's, then that would be gold, pure gold!

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Aristotelian Hangout Grand Counsel

Aristotelian

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Another thing. He has an extremely low strikeout rate. Only 10 K in 82 AB. 10.8% K rate, not too far from Altuve territory. Low K rate plus good hard contact is a great combination.

He does not have the highest walk rate on the team, but that is because he is batting #2 and teams do not want to pitch to Manny with men on base. I can't prove it, but I still say he has the best eye on the team. He routinely spits on pitches that are three inches off the plate, more so than any player on our team. I mean he doesn't even flinch at them. But at the same time, you don't feel like he is trying to draw walks like Rickard. If he gets a pitch to hit, he will hit it and hit it hard.

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