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Wow, Kim is untouchable

cm1290

By cm1290
in Orioles Talk

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osfan83 Major Leaguer Rising Star

osfan83

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Whats especially odd is that Buck is - as we are constantly reminded - obsessed with metrics, historic numbers, match-ups and so on. So it's not as if Kim's OBP wouldn't be on his radar.

I think Buck is too obsessed with SSS match-ups. If Davis had a .300 average against the Rays closer over 10 career AB's he would put more stock in that, than Kim's season long OPS.

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bobmc Hangout Grand Counsel

bobmc

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More Buck on Kim, spring training and the Korean media:

* Did everyone get their Hyun Soo Kim t-shirt Friday night? Did anyone reflect on how his popularity has risen from three layers below the surface to the roof deck?

Fans love the guy and vent about his usual exclusion from the lineup against left-handed pitchers. Booed on opening day for refusing a Triple-A assignment, embraced now with such force that his tongue almost spills out of his mouth.

“We’re all human beings. We all like to be liked,” Showalter said.

“It’s like David Cone a long time ago had a locker outside my office and I heard him talking. He’d had like three bad outings in a row, didn’t get out of the second or third inning and he was being booed. He had a great line. He said, ‘You know, they’re waiting to embrace me. It’s up to me to give them something to embrace me about. They want me to do well because it means our team is doing well. It’s something I control.’ I think Hyun Soo had a lot of confidence in his ability and knew that it would work out. He also realized it hadn’t gotten off to a good statistical start.

“I’m proud of him and happy for him because there’s a lot of pressure on him back there. Every time I do an interview with the Korean media, it reminds me of how many people live and die with every at-bat and everything he does here. I think it’s 8 o’clock in the morning the games come on. They were telling me they basically get up and have breakfast and watch our games.”

Kim will enter the Blue Jays series batting .302/.380/.416. The power hasn’t transferred from Korea to the majors, but he knows how to work a count and get on base. He leads the club in the first two categories.

“He’s been a good contributor, especially with the on-base percentage that all clubs are in need of,” Showalter said. “He’s played an adequate left field, too. Real accurate thrower, sure-handed.”

Kim was shaky in the outfield in spring training and the scouting reports that accompanied him were less than flattering toward his arm and range. But we’ve seen a guy who gets to the balls he’s supposed to and isn’t a liability.

Won’t win a Gold Glove, won’t hurt you.

“I’ll tell you, spring training’s one of the bigger foolers in outfield play,” Showalter said. “I’ve seen Gold Glove outfielders look terrible in spring training. You’ve got high sky, you’ve got sun, you’ve got wind, you’ve got no background on the ball coming off the bat behind home plate. Everything that you get spoiled with in the big leagues. So, I didn’t know.

“He’s played a very adequate left field. He works hard at it, he wants to play good defense and it doesn’t surprise me because if you gauge outfielders’ defensive skills by watching spring training, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/09/this-that-and-the-other-123.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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