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Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres was awarded an MLB Gold Glove. (from @padres on Instagram)

Korean-born Kim Ha-seong, 28, who plays for the San Diego Padres, has won an MLB Gold Glove, becoming the South Korean to ever receive the honor. In fact, Kim is the first Asian-born infielder to become a Gold Glover.

Kim was named the National League’s utility fielder on a list of 20 Gold Glove recipients from both of the major leagues. The list of 2023 winners was made public on Monday.

The Gold Glove is awarded to top defenders in each position. It shouldn’t be confused with the KBO League Golden Glove Award, given out each year by the Korea Baseball Organization, which takes into consideration offense, defense, base running and teamwork.

After spending the season rotating through a number of infield positions, Kim bested Mookie Betts of the LA Dodgers and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals — the latter of whom made up Kim’s other half in a keystone combo for the Korean national team during the World Baseball Classic in March — to take home the gold in the utility spot.

“Kim was once again the model of infield versatility for San Diego this season, seeing time at second base, third and shortstop — though he appeared mostly at second base,” read a breakdown of the honorees on MLB.com. “Kim finished as a significant plus at all three positions. He was worth 10 defensive runs saved at second base and three apiece at short and third. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Kim's season was how rarely he'd played second base before 2023 — and how seamlessly he made the transition.“

The Gold Glove for the utility position was first introduced in 2022 to honor the best all-around defensive player from each league. In an interview with the Athletic, a sports journalism site, at the end of the season, Kim said, via interpreter Leo Bae, that there are “a lot of doubts” about Asian infielders, including perceptions of “low success rate in the big leagues.” In regard to the prospect of winning a Gold Glove, he said at the time, “Obviously, it’s a great personal achievement, but also I’ll be happier just to show kids in Asia that they can play infield and they can dream about coming over here,” adding, “Just being that person to have them keep their dream, that’s the most important thing for me.”

These words recall a remark by Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes: “Ha-seong has always said that if he doesn’t do well, it could make it harder for us younger players to break into the big leagues, so he’s always saying that he’ll play his hardest to make sure we don’t pay the price.” In effect, Kim has made good on his resolution to become a role model for up-and-coming players back home.

If the Gold Glove weren’t enough, Kim is also a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award in the utility position. The winners of the award, presented to the best offensive players in each league at each position each year, will be announced on Friday.

By Kim Yang-hee, staff reporter

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