SEOUL– A pair of veteran sluggers picked up their seventh Golden Glove in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Friday, with one of them doing so at a new position.
SSG Landers third baseman Choi Jeong was named the Golden Glove winner at the hot corner for the seventh time in the annual ceremony in Seoul, while Yang Eui-ji of the NC Dinos received his first honor as designated hitter (DH), after winning six at catcher.
Choi now has the second-most Golden Gloves as a third baseman, behind only the retired star Han Dae-hwa, who won eight in the 1980s and 1990s.
Choi earned 231 out of 304 votes, after leading the KBO with 35 home runs and ranking fifth with 100 RBIs. He also became just the second player in league history to surpass 400 career home runs.
Yang had 226 votes as DH. He played the 2021 season through an elbow injury that limited him to just over 300 innings behind the plate, which made him ineligible for the Golden Glove as catcher. But Yang put up massive offensive numbers as DH, batting .325/.414/.581 with 30 home runs and a league-best 111 RBIs. He also topped the KBO in slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage.
Choi and Yang are now tied for third-most Golden Gloves in league history, along with former catcher Kim Dong-soo and former outfielder Lee Byung-kyu. Ex-first baseman and DH Lee Seung-yuop leads the all-time list with 10 Golden Gloves.
Baseball writers and broadcasters voted on Golden Gloves, which, despite their name, have been awarded to players with the best offensive and pitching numbers, rather than strong defensive performances. League leaders in major offensive and pitching categories all earn automatic nominations. Golden Gloves are presented to pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders regardless of the position and DH.
Kang Baek-ho of the KT Wiz won his second straight award at first base with 278 votes, more than any other winner Friday. Kang flirted with the elusive .400 batting average in the first half of the season before fading away but still placed among the league leaders in batting average, hits, RBIs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
The outfield was hotly contested, with a handful of worthy candidates vying for three Golden Gloves.
Kiwoom Heroes’ Lee Jung-hoo won his fourth straight Golden Glove with 263 votes, after winning his first career batting title with a .360 average. It’s the second-longest Golden Glove streak by an outfielder, behind only Jang Hyo-jo’s five straight wins from the 1980s.
Hong Chang-ki of the LG Twins, who led the KBO with a .456 on-base percentage and 109 walks, collected his first Golden Glove with 189 votes.
Koo Ja-wook of the Samsung Lions, who scored a league-best 107 runs, also became the first-time winner with 143 votes.
Elsewhere, Doosan Bears’ ace Ariel Miranda, the regular season’s most valuable player, easily earned his first Golden Glove. Miranda topped the KBO with a 2.33 ERA and 225 strikeouts, a new single-season record. He garnered 231 votes.
At second base, Jung Eun-won of the Hanwha Eagles became the first-time winner with 121 votes. The 21-year-old had a career year at the plate, putting up a .283/.407/.384 line and finishing seventh in the KBO in on-base percentage.
Kiwoom shortstop Kim Hye-seong was also a first-time Golden Glover with 179 votes. In his first season as a full-time shortstop following the departure of Kim Ha-seong to the San Diego Padres, Kim Hye-seong led the league with a career-high 46 steals and also established personal bests with a .304 batting average, 99 runs, 170 hits and a .372 on-base percentage.
Kim Ha-seong had won the three previous Golden Gloves at shortstop.
With Yang Eui-ji winning his prize at DH, Kang Min-ho of the Samsung Lions won his sixth Golden Glove at catcher with 209 votes. He was the oldest winner Friday at age 36.
Source: Yonhap News Agency