Who will be the MVP
Who will be the MVP
Blog Article
In the first half of the 2024 professional baseball league, a new milestone in the history of the KBO league was poured in. Choi Jung (37, SSG) and Son Ah-seop (36, NC), who always kept their initial commitment in mind, set a new KBO league record of home runs and hits. The two players, who most call them "geniuses," believed in their efforts rather than their talents, and stubbornly dug a single well for nearly 20 years. Having shown the value of consistency, they became "living legends" by completing a hard-working tower in the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, "Rising Star" who heralded the start of a new legend with explosive energy has also appeared. Kim Do-young (21), who wore a professional uniform in 2022 as the "second Lee Jong-beom," achieved the first monthly record of "10 Home Run-10 Steal" in the KBO League.
Choi Jung and Son Ah-seop are synonymous with home runs, hits, and 'steadiness.'
Choi started the milestone by hitting a slider from starter Lee In-bok in the top of the fifth inning with two outs, trailing Lotte 4-7 on April 24 at Sajik Stadium in Busan, Choi hit his 468th career home run. With this "one shot," Choi beat Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop's active record of 467 to rank No. 1 in the home run category.
Since debuting professionally in 2005, Choi has hit double-digit home runs for 19 consecutive seasons from 2006. Choi is also holding the record of the longest in the category of 10 consecutive home runs. Having hit 21 home runs through Sunday, Choi also hit 20 home runs for nine consecutive seasons from the 2016 season to this year. Choi, a home run hitter representing the KBO League, is always humble in front of baseball.
In an interview with Sports Kyunghyang earlier, he said, "Baseball resets everything after a day. Baseball is a sport that cannot and should not lose its original intention." Behind the milestone is Choi Jeong's stubbornness.
Son Ah-seop, who set a new record for the most hits in his career in the KBO league, is also an indispensable player when discussing "steadiness." In an away game against Doosan held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on June 20, Son had a hit to the left with two outs in the top of the sixth inning against starting pitcher Raul Alcantara. Son, who had his 2,505th hit in his career, broke KBSN Sports Commentator Park Yong-taek's previous record for the most hits (2,504). Son, who started his professional career with Lotte in 2007, has had triple-digit hits since 2010, when he became a starting player. He ranked first in the most hits category four times in the 2012 (158), 2013 (172), 2017 (193), and 2023 (187) seasons, and had 150 hits for the first time in eight consecutive seasons from 2016 until last year. Son also mentioned his initial commitment to the team. "It seems that the time that I have been struggling every day has gathered to lead to a milestone," he said. "I don't know how long I will be able to play as a player, but I will play with the same mind until the day I take off my uniform without losing my initial commitment."
Choi Jung and Son Ah-seop will now challenge another milestone of 500 home runs and 3,000 hits.
'Rising Star' Kim Do-young Will Lead the MVP Race in the Second Half
Kim Do-young is the best hit player of this season. Kim joined Kia as the first draft pick of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft, but she has not displayed all of her skills due to injuries over the past two years. This year, as if to vent her frustration, she is exuding tremendous energy on the ground. 퀸알바
Kim has posted a batting average of 0.341, 23 homers, 25 steals, and a 60-run OPS of 1.026 in 80 games through Sunday. The only flaw is that he has made many mistakes (19).
The number of home runs and stolen bases is particularly noticeable. Kim already hit 20 home runs and 20 steals in the first half of the season. Kim has shown unusual performance since the beginning of the season. He hit 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases in April alone. No one had hit 10 home runs and 10 steals a month before Kim. Lee Jong-beom, a legendary player of the team who is famous for his team, and Eric Thames, who hit 40 home runs and 40 steals in 2015, also failed to hit double-digit home runs and steals in a month.
Kim Do-young, who boasts sophisticated hitting, slugging and quick feet, will add seven homers and five stolen bases for the rest of the season, and become the first player to join the "30 Home Run-30 Steal" club in nine years after Thames in the KBO League. It is the first time in 24 years that a Korean player has joined the "30 Home Run-30 Steal" club following MBC Sports Plus commentator Park Jae-hong. If he maintains his current pace, 40 home runs to 40 steals will not be his dream.
With the second half of the season remaining, it is still too early to discuss the MVP of the regular season. Not only Choi Jeong and Son Ah-seop, but also KT Mel Rojas Jr., Kiwoom Kim Hye-sung, who is seeking to advance to the Major League, and NC's Matt Davidson, who leads home runs, are among the candidates, while KIA James Nail (No. 1 in ERA) and Kiwoom Heyesus (No. 1 in multiple wins) are among the pitchers. Most of all, the biggest concern is whether Kim Do-young, who is in his third year as a professional player, will be able to lead the fiery competition for MVP in the second half of the year.