3 position players with rebound potential the Pirates should pursue

Ha-Seong Kim

Ha-Seong Kim was coming off a career year in 2023. He hit .260/.351/.398 with a .330 wOBA and 110 wRC+. The versatile Kim slugged 17 home runs, the most he has ever hit in one year since arriving in the United States, while swiping 38 bags. He also walked at a strong 12% rate with a sub-20% strikeout rate. Kim ended up being worth +4.2 fWAR in 626 plate appearances.

However, 2024 wasn’t as good for Kim. He still turned in roughly average numbers, slashing .233/.330/.370 with a .308 wOBA and 101 wRC+. Kim improved his plate discipline, cutting his K% down to just 16.4% while upping his walk rate to 12.3%. But after appearing in 152 games and racking up over 600 plate appearances in ‘23, Kim only made 121 in-game appearances with 470 plate appearances, succumbing to injury.

For what it’s worth, Kim’s underlying numbers in 2024 weren’t much different than in 2023. His .316 xwOBA was a career-best, barely topping his .313 mark from ‘23. Both his 87.9 MPH exit velocity and 4.8% barrel rate were also career-highs and slight improvements over the 86.2 MPH and 4.2% barrel percentage he had in 2023.

Kim’s defense was still as good as ever. He had +2 defensive runs saved and +4 outs above average at shortstop. For his career, he has +24 DRS and +11 OAA at short. But Kim isn't just a shortstop; in fact, he won a Gold Glove for his defense all over the diamond in 2023. He mostly played second base in ‘23, where he had +10 DRS and +7 OAA in less than 900 innings. His defense at the hot corner was also quite good, with +3 DRS and +2 OAA, while posting even fewer innings there than at second.

Kim had to undergo shoulder surgery last season, which might keep him out for the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign, but the Pirates have enough infield depth to cover until he’s back in action. They could definitely use some more stability on the right side of the infield. Kim is an outstanding defender who has the potential to be an above-average bat. He’d likely find plenty of opportunities all over the Pirates’ infield.