It may not be a two-way MVP match between NC Dinos Eric Peddy (30) and Hanwha Eagles Noh Si-hwan (23). There is a player who has entered the MVP race. This is LG Twins Hong Chang-gi (30).
Until mid-season, the MVP competition was a battle between Fedy and Noh Si-hwan. First of all, the strongest candidate, Peddie, has appeared in 25 games and has 150⅔ innings, 18 wins, 6 losses, and an average ERA of 2.21.
He is in first place in the multiple wins category, 3 wins ahead of KT Benjamin. He also leads the team in earned run average. He is ahead of Doosan Alcantara 안전놀이터(2.36).
And when Kiwoom Ahn Woo-jin was out for the season due to elbow surgery, Peddy rose to first place in strikeouts. With 169, he surpassed Ahn Woo-jin (164) and Benjamin (149) to become the leader.
In this way, Peddie is challenging the pitcher triple crown.
Pedi’s opponent is Noh Si-hwan. As of the game on the 18th, Noh Si-hwan has played in 123 games and has a batting average of 0.298, 30 home runs, 96 RBIs, a slugging percentage of 0.549, and an OPS of 0.937. He ranks first in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage. However, since Noh Si-hwan is participating in the Asian Games, he can allow his competitors to catch up.
There was a player who broke into the competitive system of the two players. He is Hong Chang-gi.
As of the 18th, Hong Chang-gi has played in 122 games and is recording a batting average of 0.340 (157 hits in 462 at-bats), 1 home run, and 63 RBIs.
His fire bat does not cool down. If you narrow it down to the last 10 games, he is recording a high batting average of .400 (0.421). He had 6 hits in the last 3 games.
Thanks to these performances, he surpassed Son Ah-seop (NC · 0.339) and rose to first place in batting average.
Hong Chang-ki was already the best ‘on-base machine’ in the league. He ranks first in on-base percentage this season with a whopping 0.452. There is a difference of more than 4 pennies from 2nd place Doosan Yang Eui-ji (0.410). It is no exaggeration to say that he earned the title of king on base.
Although he often plays the role of a problem solver, he often gets on base and comes home as a leadoff hitter. That’s why he scores a lot of points. He surpassed Kiwoom Kim Hye-seong (97 points) with 100 points and rose to the top scorer.
The three crowns are a must. Here, the team is about to win its first championship in 29 years. ‘The winning team won three batting crowns’. In particular, because the ‘win premium’ also comes into play, he is a worthy contender for MVP.
Hong Chang-gi said, “I’m not very conscious of it, but I plan to work hard because I don’t know what will happen when it ends,” but he also expressed humility, saying, “I think it might be possible if I get 200 hits.”
The MVP competition heated up at the end of the season. It remains to be seen until the end who will receive MVP honors.