Last year, Choi won the golden glove for the eighth time with a landslide victory. Will this year be his coronation?
The KBO Golden Gloves, which are awarded to the 10 best players in each position in the KBO, will be held on Nov. 11. Voting by a panel of media representatives, including reporters, photographers, broadcasters’ PDs and announcers, ended on the 1st.
Choi Yoo-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles and Choi Jung of SSG Landers are the top two nominees in the third baseman category. The two battled for the home run title until the end of the season. In the home run race, Noh was ahead of Choi. Noh finished the regular season with 31 home runs, while Choi finished the season with 29, two short of the record. Noh won two individual titles, leading the league in home runs and RBIs (101), while Choi only won the on-base percentage (.548) title.
Choi is a “living legend” third baseman who has won the Golden Glove eight times in his career. It’s safe to say he’s dominated the past decade, winning the award in 2011, followed by 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Last year, despite not winning an individual title, he won his eighth Golden Glove, receiving an overwhelming 82.7% of the vote (259 votes) in the Golden Glove voting for third baseman.
Even though he’s in his late 30s, 먹튀검증 he still has no competition on his team, and there hasn’t been a worthy competitor in the entire league “for a long time. In addition to his cumulative stats, he has always been a consistent performer every season. In particular, he has been a consistent home run hitter, making him one of the most valuable right-handed hitting third basemen in the game.
Now, there’s a contender for the top spot.
Noh Si-hwan. Despite his team’s failure to qualify for fall baseball this season, Noh has swept all the awards at the end of the year.
His performance as a gold medalist at the Asian Games is synergistic. While the voting results are not yet available, there is no denying that Noh is the favorite to win the Golden Glove for third base after his MVP-caliber season.
Choi, too, has been pleased to see his growth. Although he is a junior on the other team, he is a fellow third baseman and is always full of praise. “I think he has opened his eyes to baseball now. He’s definitely stepped up a notch. When I look at him, I feel like he’s a textbook example of a right-handed third baseman. He is a good player who can serve as an example for younger players growing up in the future.”
At the KBO Awards ceremony held last month, Choi Jeong-jeong, who also won the batting average award, said, “Noh Shi-hwan could have won the triple crown (including batting average), but because I was injured, I’m sorry that he didn’t win the triple crown.”
The competition between Choi and Noh for the best third baseman is a breath of fresh air for the entire league.
Choi is here to stay, not just this year, 안전놀이터 but next year and the year after, and Noh is gaining experience and growing into an even scarier hitter. Healthy competition is definitely a driving force behind the development of the entire league.