There’s a guy already at the top, a contender closing in on him, and a player on the rise. The competition for the best shortstop in 2024 is about to get even more intense.
This season, the shortstop position saw a number of players shine.
The only tie for the KBO Defensive Player of the Year award, which was created for the first time this year, was at shortstop. Oh Ji-hwan (LG Twins) and Park Chan-ho (KIA Tigers) took home one trophy each.
The Golden Glove Awards, held on Nov. 11, were decided by the smallest margin of any of this year’s 10 categories: Oh, Ji-hwan, who received 154 votes, edged out Park, who received 120, by 34 votes.
For the second year in a row, the Golden Glove winner was more wary than relieved. “Younger guys are coming up, so I have to show that I’m competitive,” he said, “I’m an athlete, so I have to prove myself.”
Even as he is recognized as the best shortstop in the game, he has to be vigilant because the growth of other players is unexpected.
Park Chan-ho, the immediate threat to Oh at the Golden Glove ceremony, hit .301 with three home runs, 52 RBIs, 토토사이트 73 runs scored and 30 stolen bases in 130 games this year. He also did his part with his steady defense.
The highly anticipated Golden Glove Awards, where he finished in second place, gave him even more motivation. “I want to win a Golden Glove at least once in my baseball career,” he said.
Park isn’t alone.
Young shortstops such as NC Dinos’ Kim Joo-won, SSG Landers’ Park Sung-sung, and Samsung Lions’ Lee Jae-hyun are also making strides.
Kim Joo-won, who is said to have improved through the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, was named to the Best 9 at the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) for his solid defense and hitting.
Then there’s the “proven contender” that we haven’t seen in the last two years. This is Kim Hye-sung, the second baseman of the Kiwoom Heroes.
Originally a shortstop, Kim won the 2021 Golden Glove for shortstop ahead of Oh Ji-hwan. However, she was later switched to second base due to team circumstances and was out of the shortstop race for a while.
After winning the Golden Glove at second base for the second year in a row, Kim is preparing to return to her original position at shortstop next year.
Oh Ji-hwan said of Kim Hye-sung, “I’m coming back to shortstop, so I think I need to prepare better next year. I think she’ll have more of a sense of purpose.”
The invisible war for the golden glove in the shortstop category, 사설토토 the flower of infield defense, has already begun.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.