With the 2023 KBO League regular season coming to a close on Sunday after a fierce battle for third place, attention is turning to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year winners.
The Rookie of the Year award, in particular, is up for grabs, with many players excelling in both the pitching and hitting categories.
The favorite for MVP is NC Dinos ace Eric Peddy, 30. Peddie had a breakout year this season with 20 wins and 200 strikeouts.
It’s been 37 years since Sun Dong-yeol of the Hattae Tigers recorded 24 wins and 214 strikeouts in 1986.
Peddie was one strikeout shy of a one-run ERA in the final game of the regular season against Kia the day before.
However, he finished first in wins (20), second in strikeouts (209), and third in ERA (2.00), clinching the pitcher’s triple crown.
Only three other players have ever won the pitching triple crown: Sun Dong-yeol (1986-1989-1990-1991), Ryu Hyun-jin (2006), and Yoon Seok-min (2011).
SPOTV commentator Min Hoon-ki said, “It was an overwhelming performance in the pitching department.
In particular, 200 strikeouts is a record that only legendary pitchers have achieved,” said SPOTV commentator Min Hoon-ki, predicting that Pedi will be named the Most Valuable Player.
On the other hand, the Rookie of the Year award, which can only be won once in a lifetime, is expected to be hotly contested.
Among pitchers, it’s a two-horse race between Moon Dong-joo of the Hanwha Eagles and Yoon Young-chul of the Kia Tigers.
Moon, who made his debut last year but retained his rookie status due to a low number of innings pitched (28⅔), has been steady in 23 games with eight wins (eight losses), 95 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA. 카지노사이트가이드
A confident pitcher with a fastball, Moon broke the record for the fastest pitch by a Korean pitcher in April when he threw a fastball that reached 160 kilometers per hour. He ended his season early in September due to the club’s policy of limiting his innings pitched.
Yoon Young-cheol, a finesse pitcher with a precise delivery, anchored the starting rotation this year with eight wins (seven losses), 74 strikeouts and a 4.04 ERA.
Compared to Moon Dong-ju, who debuted last year as a “middle-aged rookie,” Yoon’s strength is that he stayed on the mound as a pure rookie.
Among the hitters, Hanwha’s Moon Hyun-bin, who recorded 100 hits in his rookie year, and Lotte Giants’ Kim Min-seok are among the candidates.
Moon hit .266 with 114 hits, five home runs, and 47 RBIs.
Kim finished the season with a .255 average, 102 hits, three home runs, and 53 RBIs. Commentator Min Hoon-ki said, “The players who are considered the favorites for the Rookie of the Year have performed quite well this season. I expect it to be a close race.”
The Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year nominees will be announced on Nov. 18, and the 33 members of the Korea Baseball Writers Association will vote on Nov. 19, right before the wild-card game.
The winners will be announced at the end of the postseason.