Even the term ‘national level’ is not enough. The Korean baseball team’s pitchers challenge the world stage with the world’s best keystone combination behind them.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) included Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals) in the list of 30 WBC national teams announced on the 4th. Edmund is the first mixed-race player on the Korean national team. Thanks to his mother, who is a Korean-American, he was qualified to join the Korean national team and succeeded in the final boarding. His middle name is also his Korean name, ‘Hyeonsu’. It is very meaningful for him to participate in the Korean national team.
His skills stand out even more. Edmund is a leading infielder who played in 153 MLB games last year (89 for second base and 80 for shortstop). After he developed into a major league starting infielder, there was no Korean player who got on the national team. Edmund and Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres), who will form the Keystone duo, are the first.
Edmund also has strength in his batting average, recording a batting average of 0.265 and 13 home runs OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.725. The defense is one of the best in MLB. He played five positions, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, center fielder, and right fielder, but he made only three mistakes, which is an ‘iron wall’. Edmund has already won the Gold Glove, which Ha-seong Kim was satisfied with as a finalist last year, for the 2021 season.
In terms of detailed figures, it is even more overwhelming. Edman recorded +19 in OAA (Outs Against Average), a defensive metric based on batted ball tracking data last year. This is a record that ranks third among all MLB fielders last year. He also performed well in DRS (Defense Run Suppression), where he recorded +6 at shortstop and +12 at second base. The combined +18 is a favorable performance that corresponds to the 8th place in the entire league fielder. 안전놀이터
Last year Edman was nominated for a Gold Glove Award for Utilities, but failed to win for the second year in a row. The Gold Glove award is due to the reflection of the votes of experts in the field. Edmon’s defensive indicators were higher, but teammate Brandon Donovan, who was responsible for six positions, including all infield positions, won the award instead. Instead, he won the multi-position category at the Fielding Bible Awards, which are awarded for various defensive records.
Steady beyond outstanding. Edmund posted an OAA of +12 or higher in all three seasons except for the shortened 2020 season. The combined +48 over the last four years is also the 8th place among all fielders in the league, and none of them are second basemen. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the best second baseman in the world.
Infield defense cannot be done alone. No matter how wide the range of defense is and how strong the shoulders are, you need a partner to match. This is why Kim Ha-seong and harmony are expected. Kim Ha-seong also recorded a high ranking this season with OAA +8 (34th overall). It’s no exaggeration to say that their defensive sum (OAA +27) is better than the US team’s keystone combination Trey Turner (Philadelphia Phillies) and Trevor Story (Boston Red Sox) (OAA +10), considered the best all-stars of all time. not.
It is the defense that determines the short-term game. It is more important in the WBC, where there are many opponents that cannot be defeated by force. This is why Edmund’s joining the national team is welcome.
