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The Padres player who was ‘crushing cigarettes’ during games

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Joey Mistretta | Last updated 4/24/24

Former first baseman Eric Hosmer, who spent time with the San Diego Padres during his impressive MLB career, announced his retirement before the 2024 season. During a recent episode of the Diggin’ Deep Podcast, Hosmer told a story about a Padres player who used to smoke cigarettes in the clubhouse.

“I tell the story with (Ha-Seong) Kim, you know, a lot of the Korean and the Japanese players to calm the nerves they smoke cigarettes,” Hosmer said. “So Kim, his first year, crushing cigarettes… So year two, he comes back to spring training, right, he comes back to spring training and he goes, ‘hey, bro, me no more cigarette. No more cigarette.’ We’re like, ‘oh, okay, good. Good.’ Second day of the season, six at-bats in, we walk by, Kim is out there (smoking). We go, ‘hey, you said you were done.’ He goes, ‘mucho stress.'”

Hosmer’s story is at 24:15 in video.

Ha-Seong Kim’s MLB career with Padres

San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (7) on deck in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Kim made his debut in 2021. He’s a versatile infielder who can play shortstop or second base. After spending the first few years of his career primarily playing second base, the Padres decided to move him to shortstop before the 2024 season.

Kim enjoyed a breakout 2023 campaign, slashing .260/.351/.398/.749. He added 17 home runs, 23 doubles, and 38 stolen bases. Kim finished 14th in National League MVP voting as a result of his strong performance, and also won the NL Gold Glove award at second base.

Kim, who is now playing shortstop as aforementioned, is struggling thus far in 2024. He is currently slashing .228/.339/.402/.742 across 110 plate appearances. He has recorded three home runs and seven stolen bases, though.

Kim will play a big role for the Padres moving forward. San Diego is hovering around the .500 mark. They could end up competing for a playoff spot in the National League, however.

Padres’ outlook as 2024 season continues

The NL West is an interesting division. It was expected to be among the best divisions in MLB, but so far only one team currently holds a record of above .500.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 14-11, which gives them the lead in the division. The Padres will enter their game on Wednesday night sporting a 13-13 record.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks are just below .500, while the Colorado Rockies have just six wins so far.

Arizona, of course, reached the World Series in 2023. The Diamondbacks had high expectations heading into the ’24 campaign, but Arizona has yet to find consistency.

San Francisco is battling injury concerns, and the Dodgers have not lived up to their lofty expectations yet. It is still early in the season and anything can happen. Winning the NL West still seems unlikely for any team aside from the Dodgers given LA’s plethora of talent.

Perhaps the Padres can surprise the MLB world with a run at the division title, though. Or, at the very least, clinching a playoff berth via an NL Wild Card spot could be attainable.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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