20 Wins for Pedi? 31 Home Runs for Noh? KBO League MVP and Rookie of the Year Nominees Revealed
16 MVP nominees announced, including 10 rookies, Moon Dong-joo and Yoon Young-chul
Who will be the brightest stars of the 2023 KBO season?
The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) announced today the finalized nominees for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year awards for the best performances of the season.
As in previous years, the KBO, in conjunction with the Korea Baseball Writers Association, selected the nominees in advance and held a public vote. It is a plurality voting system where the player with the most votes is selected as the winner.
A total of 134 members of the Korea Baseball Writers Association and local media outlets that covered the KBO this season will participate in the voting. Voting will close shortly before the start of the first wild-card game on April 19.
This year’s MVP nominees include 16 players who are title holders in their respective divisions, as well as other players who have been outstanding performers.
Among the pitchers are Eric Peddy (NC Dinos), Ko Young-pyo, Park Young-hyun, and William Cuevas (KT Wiz), Seo Jin-yong (SSG Landers), Ariel Furado (Kiwoom Heroes), Raul Alcantara (Doosan Bears), and David Buchanan (Samsung Lions).
There were eight other nominees, including Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles), Choi Jung (SSG), Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom), Austin Dean, Hong Chang-ki (LG Twins), Son Ah-seop (NC Dinos), Koo Ja-uk (Samsung), and Jeong Soo-bin (Doosan).
Pedi and Noh Si-hwan are strong MVP candidates.
Pedi pitched in 30 games, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA. He struck out 209 batters, completing the pitcher’s triple crown of wins, ERA, and strikeouts. He also became just the fifth player in history to record 20 wins and 200 strikeouts.
In his fifth year as a professional, Noh hit .298 with 31 home runs, 101 RBIs and 85 runs scored in 131 games. He became the first player born in 2000 to win the KBO’s home run title, signaling a strong presence of youthful power.
A total of 10 players were nominated for the Rookie of the Year award, including Moon Dong-ju, Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha), Yoo Young-chan (LG), Yoon Young-chul and Choi Ji-min (both KIA), Kim Dong-joo (Doosan), Kim Dong-heon, Lee Ju-hyung (Kiwoom), Kim Min-seok and Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte Giants).
In his second season in the KBO, Moon Dong-ju appeared in 23 games and compiled an 8-8 record with a 3.72 ERA. Yoon Young-chul, who made his KBO debut this year, finished his rookie season with an 8-7 record and a 4.04 ERA in 25 games.
Rookie of the Year candidates were selected from all players who joined the KBO in 2023 and those who joined within the last five years (2018-2022), excluding the current year, who have accumulated no more than 30 innings for pitchers and 60 at-bats for batters (excluding players who were members of overseas professional baseball organizations).
The winners of the 2023 MVP and Rookie of the Year awards will be announced at the KBO Awards Ceremony following the conclusion of the postseason. 카지노사이트존
