Will Kiwoom Heroes Lee Jeong-hoo (24) be able to win 2 consecutive MVP wins?
Lee Jung-hoo, who had the best season of the year, has established himself as the best hitter in the KBO League both in name and reality. He recorded a batting average of 3.4 9 Lee (193 hits in 553 at-bats), 23 homers, 113 RBIs, and an OPS of .996 in 142 games, winning 5 batting titles (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, most hits) and even won the MVP.
Lee Jung-hoo, who is aiming for overseas expansion after the end of next year’s season, is determined to show further growth next year. Lee Jung-hoo said, “This time, he is going to go to the United States a little earlier than usual and train. He’s going to be out in early January,” he said, “trying to be more precise, hit harder. I want to create a season that appeals to my strengths. Hitting home runs well is not important. I want to strike out less than this year and walk more.”
If Lee Jung-hoo achieves the same results as this year, he is likely to win the MVP award next year. The only players who have won the league MVP for more than two consecutive years in KBO League history are Seon Dong-yeol (1989-1990), Jang Jong-hoon (1991-1992), Lee Seung-yeop (2001-2003), and Park Byeong-ho (2012-2013).
However, there are many candidates who can block Lee Jung-hoo from winning the MVP award. Jose Pirella, who renewed his contract with Samsung for $1.7 million, is the strongest competitor.
Pirella, who competed with Lee Jung-hoo for the title until the end of the season, performed as well as Lee Jeong-hoo with a batting average of 3.42 (192 hits in 561 at-bats), 28 homers, 109 RBIs, and an OPS of .976 in 141 games. He only won one title, such as 2nd in batting average, 1st in runs scored, 2nd in most hits, 2nd in home runs, and 2nd in RBI, but if it weren’t for Lee Jung-hoo, Pirella could have aimed for 4 or 5 crowns.
Park Byeong-ho (KT), who has successfully revived, is also a hitter who can challenge for the third MVP in his career. Park Byeong-ho, who recorded a batting average of .275 li (118 hits in 429 at-bats) in 124 games, 35 home runs and 98 RBIs, OPS of .908, could have challenged for 40 homers if it had not been for an injury in the second half of the season. Park Byeong-ho, who has hit 20 home runs for 9 consecutive years, will challenge 20 home runs for 10 consecutive years next year. 메이저사이트
Among the pitchers, Lee Jung-hoo’s teammate Ahn Woo-jin is raising expectations to see if he can create an amazing season once again. An Woo-jin played an active role in 30 games (196 innings) with an average ERA of 2.11, 15 wins and 8 losses, and won two crowns as a pitcher (ERA, strikeouts). 224 strikeouts is the second-highest number of strikeouts in a single season in the history of the KBO League.
Alcantara (Doosan), which returns to the KBO league after three years, can also become a dark horse. In Japanese professional baseball, he scored poorly with 63 games (97⅔innings) 4 wins, 6 losses, 1 save, and an average ERA of 3.96, but in Korea, he achieved 20 wins in 2020 and won the Golden Glove, so he can expect a rebound.
In addition, Na Seong-beom (KIA), Choi Jeong (SSG), Park Gun-woo (NC), Yang Eui-ji (Doosan), Kim Hyun-soo (LG), Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG), and Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA) are expected to be active next year.