Nicely, the dream is lifeless. All through the season, I’ve been monitoring Nick Allen’s possibilities of reopening the Homerless Qualifier Membership, the unique fraternity of gamers who make sufficient plate appearances to qualify for the batting title however fail to hit a single residence run. In 2022, Myles Straw grew to become the one entrant since 2012 and simply the nineteenth of the century. Allen has performed in 128 of Atlanta’s 139 video games, however batting final and continuously giving up his spot in favor of a pinch-hitter has stored him just below the brink of three.1 plate appearances per sport all season lengthy. The merciless cat-and-mouse sport is lastly over, although, as a result of the Braves have claimed Ha-Seong Kim from the Rays off waivers. Kim began at shortstop on Tuesday, going 2-for-4. Supervisor Brian Snitker made it clear that Kim will play there for the rest of the season.
Kim tore the labrum in his proper shoulder on August 18 final yr, requiring surgical procedure and placing an unceremonious finish to his last season with the Padres. The Rays took of venture on him realizing that he wouldn’t be accessible till Might on the earliest, signing him on a two-year cope with an opt-out for $13 million this yr (with $2 million extra in incentives), then $16 million in 2026. If he carried out nicely, Tampa Bay would have him for one season at an enormous low cost, and he’d get a second shot at having a correct platform yr. As an alternative, Kim’s return was delayed till July by hamstring and calf accidents, and decrease again points put him on the IL twice extra previously two months. In all, Kim obtained into simply 24 video games with the Rays, making 93 plate appearances and recording a wRC+ of 72, his worst offensive displaying since 2021, his first yr within the U.S. That made preserving Kim round for the 2026 season too large a threat for the Rays.
All of this can be a disgrace. Kim is a good participant, a superb, versatile defender with a stable bat, and accidents have now robbed him of his second probability to signal a deal that may mirror that excellence. Even when he places up a improbable 2026 marketing campaign, he’ll be re-entering free company after his age-30 season, which isn’t simple for a participant whose worth is so wrapped up in his glove.
Now, the Braves are the workforce taking an opportunity on Kim. Except he places up the best September in latest reminiscence, he’ll forego his opt-out and receives a commission $16 million to anchor the Atlanta infield in 2026. He wouldn’t need to return all the way in which to the shape he confirmed from 2022 to 2024 – when he ran a 106 wRC+ with 15 DRS and seven FRV to common 4.0 WAR per 162 video games – in an effort to make {that a} discount. Nonetheless, he represents a threat. Atlanta is tying itself to a participant who has suffered a number of minor accidents whereas recovering from a serious one, and who hasn’t carried out in his restricted time with Tampa Bay. However, that point was so restricted that it’s exhausting to inform the place the noise leaves off and the sign begins.
Along with his 93 plate appearances with the Rays, Kim additionally made 91 throughout his Triple-A rehab stint. Particularly for somebody coming off shoulder surgical procedure, particularly for somebody who missed almost a yr, that’s nowhere close to sufficient time to have a way of whether or not he’ll return to his earlier degree as a hitter. Kim has walked much less and struck out extra, and he’s slugged much less too. His swing selections have been worse, and he’s making much less contact. That’s not encouraging, nevertheless it’s additionally indistinguishable from rust, and the small pattern measurement can disguise loads. For instance, Kim has seen far more pitches on the sting of the strike zone to date this season; that’s the form of fluky factor that doesn’t final without end however makes swing selections and call high quality look a lot worse than they are surely. Kim’s zone contact fee fell from 86.6% final yr to 82.6% to this yr. But when we glance solely at pitches over coronary heart of the plate, ignoring these trickier selections on the edge, the drop is way smaller, from 89.0% to 87.1%.
There’s excellent news too. Simply final evening, Kim hit a ball 107.2 mph, and his most exit velocity final season was 107.9 mph. His common bat velocity and quick swing fee are each greater than they had been final yr. After ripping three hard-hit balls in his Braves debut, his common exit velocity has jumped as much as a career-high 88.7 mph. The 2 quickest tracked swings of his profession each have come this season. That’s to not say that Kim is abruptly going to show into an influence hitter, however regardless of the litany of accidents he’s needed to work by, he doesn’t appear bodily hampered on the plate.
If I had been the Braves, I’d be extra involved about Kim’s arm. Up to now this season, Statcast has his common arm power at 83.9 mph, down from 88.0 mph in 2024. Extra regarding, his quickest throw is 87.1 mph, in comparison with 92.0 mph final yr. To be truthful, Kim has performed little or no this season. Statcast has him with simply 74 throws from quick, and most of them had been simple possibilities. I watched tape searching for performs when he obtained lots on a throw. I’m unsure I can see the distinction in arm velocity with the bare eye. The bundle under incorporates three performs with robust throws. The primary is from 2024, and the second and third are from 2025.
They’re not equivalent performs by any means, however nonetheless, I’m unsure Kim had all that rather more on the primary throw. Possibly he has misplaced some arm velocity this season, and possibly it’s gone for good, nevertheless it’s in all probability too early to inform for positive. This can actually have an effect on Kim’s outlook going ahead. A lot of his worth comes from his glove, and his bat performs up much more as a result of he has the arm to play shortstop. If he’s not fairly nearly as good there, or if he has to shift down the defensive spectrum, he’s much less of a weapon. Nonetheless, if he bounces again in any respect, he’ll characterize an actual improve for Atlanta.
Allen has began 123 of the Braves 138 video games. With a wRC+ of simply 52, he’s been the worst on a regular basis hitter in all of baseball this season. No participant with a worse batting line has gotten greater than 250 plate appearances. It’s not simply that Allen doesn’t hit homers. He doesn’t get on base in any respect. He has put up 0.7 WAR by advantage of his protection. That’s 0.86 WAR per 500 plate appearances, in comparison with 0.73 for Kim, however we must always anticipate Kim to enhance subsequent yr, and you’ll’t say that for Allen.
Taking Kim on isn’t with out its dangers, nevertheless it makes quite a lot of sense for this Atlanta workforce. Like Kim, this complete workforce is hoping to bounce again from accidents and underperformance in 2026. Though the Braves will miss the playoffs for the primary time since 2017, they don’t have a ton of holes to fill. Ronald Acuña Jr. might be again in proper subject subsequent yr. Heart fielder Michael Harris II is lastly hitting once more after a dreadful begin. Regardless of being busted for PEDs, Jurickson Profar might be again in left subject for the following two seasons. Austin Riley is out with core muscle surgical procedure after his personal down yr, however he’ll be again at third base. Ozzie Albies is struggling by his second down yr at second base, however it could nonetheless be a shock if the workforce didn’t decide up his 2026 choice. Matt Olson is having a bounce-back marketing campaign at first base. Lastly, Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin, who’ve shared the catcher spot with two highly regarded bats (regardless of a second-half downturn for Murphy) will each be again subsequent season. That’s each spot spoken for besides shortstop, and the 2026 free agent class isn’t trying very promising. Except the Braves had been planning on spending large bucks to land Bo Bichette, they weren’t going to seek out anybody higher than Kim.
Earlier than we log off, let’s get again to the house runs — or, extra exactly, the dearth of them. As David Laurila identified on Sunday, the Braves are the one workforce with no residence run from the shortstop place. Because it seems, if they will maintain that doubtful streak going, they’ll be simply the second workforce since 1993 to realize the feat. The 2010 Rangers, fronted by Elvis Andrus and his .036 ISO over 671 plate appearances as a shortstop, had been the final workforce to go a complete season with out having anybody hit residence run whereas enjoying that place.
The excellent news – nicely, dangerous for the Braves however good for followers of statistical anomalies – is that Kim is much less doubtless than most shortstops to show issues round within the energy division. Nonetheless, the chances aren’t essentially in Atlanta’s favor. Over the course of his profession, he’s homered in 2.5% of his plate appearances, and to date this season, he’s at 2.1%. Let’s estimate that he’ll get round 100 plate appearances over the remaining video games. We should always in all probability anticipate two residence runs. If we give him a 2.5% probability of homering in any particular person plate look, which means there’s simply an 8% probability he doesn’t homer over his subsequent 100 occasions up. If we take this season’s numbers, that solely bumps it as much as a 12% probability that he’ll go with no residence run with Atlanta this season. Nonetheless, he’s put up six stretches of at the least 24 homerless video games over his 5 seasons stateside. That 100-PA quantity might be somewhat excessive, and if the workforce provides him any relaxation in favor of Allen, we will comfortably tack just a few extra share factors onto that estimate. The Braves gained’t contribute a homerless qualifier, however they’ve nonetheless obtained a combating probability to place up the second homerless shortstop season for the reason that introduction of the TI-82 calculator.