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Who would have been the MVP of this year’s season?

Without Kim Do-young, who would have been the MVP of this year’s season?

Every year, at the end of the regular season, there is a vote for the season MVP and Rookie of the Year. The consensus in the baseball world is that Kim Do-young is this year’s MVP.

With a batting average of .347 (3rd), 38 home runs (2nd), 109 RBIs (tied for 7th), slugging percentage of .422 (3rd), on-base percentage of .640 (1st), OPS of 1.067 (slugging percentage + on-base percentage, 1st), 143 runs scored (1st), and 40 stolen bases (4th), Kim was a ‘baseball genius’ just like Daesebae Lee Jong-beom. In particular, 143 runs scored is a new record in the 43-year history of the KBO.

The 40 (home runs) – 40 (stolen bases) challenge, which would have been the crowning glory of 2024, fell short. Eric Thames was the only other player to accomplish the feat in 2015.

Even so, there’s virtually no one else who can match Kim’s stature, especially since he led the Kia Tigers to the regular season title.

This year’s competition was no slouch either. The term “cone line” was coined by former professional gamer Hong Jin-ho to describe players who fell short of the top spot. If it weren’t for Kim Do-young, they would have been MVPs this year.

The most prominent player is Gu J-rook.

He hit career highs with 33 home runs, 115 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.044 (second). “I don’t know why I was obsessed with the number of home runs. I don’t know why I’ve been so obsessed with the number of home runs,” he said, reflecting on the past.

His team’s second-place finish in the regular season is also noteworthy. The Samsung Lions made it to fall baseball for the first time in three years after 2021, 카지노사이트 and Koo shined as captain, not only with his individual performance but also with his leadership of the entire team.

However, there is no “No. 1” title. If Kim Do-young is removed from the record books, the only top spot Koo can claim is OPS, and OPS is not a KBO award.

KT Wiz Rojas was no slouch either. He would have gotten a lot more votes, especially if the voting was held after the postseason like in the past. His two home runs and four RBI in the tiebreaker against the SSG Landers virtually single-handedly propelled KT into the Fall League. He also went 2-for-8 with two home runs and two RBIs in Games 1 and 2 of the wild-card series against the Doosan Bears.

His performance this season has been equally impressive. Since taking over the leadoff spot in the middle of the season, his swing hasn’t been as explosive as in previous years. However, he still managed to put his name at the top of every statistical category, including batting average (7th), 32 home runs (tied for 6th), 112 RBI (5th), and an OPS of .989.

Rojas also doesn’t have a No. 1 title.

Along with Kim Do-young and Guzauk, he is one of only four players this season to achieve the 3-4-5 (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and RBI) mark, which is the hallmark of a great hitter. The other is Ki Uhm Song Sung-moon, who had a breakout season (3-4-4, 19 home runs, 104 RBIs, .927 OPS).

What if there was no Kim Do-young? Unlike the all-around hitters, players who specialize in “titles” might get more attention. It was a season with a strange division of title winners.

Take NC Davidson, the ‘home run king’. He hit 46 home runs (first), 119 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.003 this year. Although he struggled to hit 3-4-5 (3.07% OBP) and was overshadowed by NC’s elimination from fall baseball, he was one of the brightest spots for foreign hitters this year.

LG Austin, the “RBI king,” is no slouch either.

He finished the year with a stellar .957 OPS, 32 home runs (tied for sixth), 132 RBIs (first), and an OPS of .957.

SSG Heredia (tied for first in batting average) and Lotte Reyes (tied for first in hits with 202), who were tied for the top spot until the end of the season, are also candidates. Reyes, in particular, reached the 202-hit milestone in 2014, breaking Seo’s decade-old single-season record (201) in the final game of the season. In 2014, Seo won the MVP award after defeating stiff competition from Park Byung-ho and Kang Jung-ho.

Of the hitters mentioned above, only Rojas and Reyes have played in all 144 regular-season games.

Pitchers are no different in terms of title sharing. Kia’s James Nail (12-5, 2.53 ERA), arguably the best pitcher of the season, was sidelined late in the season with an unexpected hit-by-pitch injury, while NC Hart (13-3, 2.69 ERA) struggled and missed out on the title. Nail had to settle for second place in ERA and Hart for first place in strikeouts. The top spot in wins went to Samsung’s Won Tae-in and Doosan’s Kwak-Bin Kwak (15+).

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