The regular season hasn't ended yet, but the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards have already been confirmed
The MVP race is over. On the 10th, NC's Eric Peddy achieved 20 wins and 200 strikeouts, and the best player for the 2023 season was confirmed. The same goes for Rookie of the Year. Hanwha New Ace Moon Dong-ju is expected to bring the Rookie of the Year trophy to Daejeon for the first time in 17 years. As the regular season finale approaches, the players who will stand on the podium at the end of the year are also being decided one by one.
It is no exaggeration to say that he is the best pitcher of the 21st century. This is the second coming of Seon Dong-yeol in 1986, which seemed like it would never happen again. At that time, Sun Dong-yeol won the Triple Crown with 24 wins, 214 strikeouts, and an ERA of 0.99. And he won MVP and pitcher Golden Glove awards.
Pedi is like that too. As of the 12th, the Triple Crown was virtually confirmed with 20 wins, 204 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.06. Not only is there no rival in terms of wins, strikeouts, and earned run average, but when discussing MVP and pitcher Golden Glove awards, there is no player to place above Peddie. An active big leaguer who had been steadily rotating through Major League Baseball (MLB) until last year conquered the Korean stage.
Rookie of the Year is also evident. No player has an advantage over Moon Dong-ju, who ended the season early. Moon Dong-ju played 118.2 innings in 23 games this year, recording 8 wins, 8 losses, and an average ERA of 3.72. WAR (Win Contribution Compared to Replacement: Based on Stats) 2.54, overwhelming his competitors in WAR. It is clear that Moon Dong-ju will continue the lineage of Hanwha Rookie of the Year, which has not been possible since Ryu Hyun-jin was the Rookie of the Year in 2006.
he only competing infield position is shortstop. Until a few weeks ago, it seemed like LG Oh Ji-hwan and KIA Park Chan-ho would compete until the end. However, on the 4th, Park Chan-ho ended the season early with a ball that suited his body. Oh Ji-hwan is close to completing the season and has the upper hand in indicators as well. In WAR, Oh Ji-hwan is 4.21 and Park Chan-ho is 4.17. In OPS, Oh Ji-hwan is ahead at 0.775 and Park Chan-ho is ahead at 0.734. Although his home runs have decreased compared to last year and his overall indicators have declined, Oh Ji-hwan is capable of winning his second consecutive Golden Glove.
LG Hong Chang-ki (WAR 6.14) and Samsung Koo Ja-wook (WAR 5.09) are certain to win the outfield Golden Glove. Designated hitter Golden Gloves: If NC Son Ah-seop (WAR 4.39) wins the batting title, there is a high possibility that he will also win the Golden Gloves. NC Park Geon-woo, SSG Guillermo Heredia, and KIA Socrates Britto are expected to compete for the remaining outfield Golden Glove spot.
After the Korean Series ends, KBO holds an awards ceremony to award MVP, Rookie of the Year, and title holders in each category. The Golden Glove Awards ceremony will be held in early December. Just as the 1st and 2nd place teams in the pennant race were decided early on, the winners of the awards ceremony are also being revealed early on