I got 19.1 billion won in FA three times, and I can't believe it's my first monthly MVP challenge... Will the 39-year-old veteran's first trophy in 21 years since his debut?

Aug 02, 2024

A game between LG and Samsung held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 30th. Samsung's Kang Min-ho hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Jamsil = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.07.30/

A match between Kiwoom and KIA at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 26th. KIA Kim Do-young hit his 27th two-run homer of the season in the third inning. Gocheok = Reporter Song Jeong-heon @sportschosun.com/2024.07.26/

A game between Kiwoom and KT at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 16th. KT Park Young-hyun, who is pitching. Gocheok = Reporter Song Jeong-heon @sportschosun.com/2024.07.16/

Eight players will challenge for the KBO League's monthly MVP in July. KT closer Park Young-hyun, SSG Drew Anderson, NC Kyle Hart and Lotte Charlie Barnes pitchers, and KT Mel Rojas Jr., KIA Kim Do-young, Samsung Kang Min-ho and Hanwha An Chi-hong were selected as candidates.

Kim Do-young, in her third year, will challenge for the third time this year alone after being named MVP in March, April and June, and Kang Min-ho will look at the monthly MVP for the first time.

All four pitchers have something to show off. Park Young-hyun made eight saves, the most among the closer pitchers, showing off his zero ERA, leading KT's rise. In July, he pitched in 11 of KT's 19 games and pitched 13 ⅔ innings, pitching salty water without giving up a single run. In the six games, he showed dedication to playing multiple innings.

Anderson came in May as a substitute foreign player, showing great strikeout ability. He won three games in four games, tied for second place with multiple wins and fourth place with a 1.80 ERA. In particular, he recorded more than 10 strikeouts in all three games against Lotte on the 11th, Kiwoom on the 19th, and Doosan on the 26th, becoming the eighth player in KBO league history to score double-digit strikeouts in three consecutive games. Anderson tied for second place in the category with 35 strikeouts in the month of July, and is showing off his excellent performance.

Hart is trying to win another pitching triple crown after last year's MVP Eric Peddy. In July, he pitched in five games and allowed only two earned runs in 33 innings, all of which were above quality starts, ranking first with an ERA of 0.55. He also has 39 strikeouts. Currently, he is mentioned as a strong opponent of KIA Kim Do-young as he has emerged as an MVP candidate with 10 wins, tied for first place with a 2.43 ERA, and first place with strikeouts alone.

Released in July from an injury hiatus, Barnes has had an ace-like month. He recorded a total of 35 strikeouts in four games and won three games, tying for second in both strikeouts and multiple wins. In addition, he ranked third with a 1.69 ERA and fourth with a 0.75 on-base allowed per inning (WHIP), showing even performance in all areas.

The match between SSG and Lotte at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 1st. SSG Anderson is pitching as a starter. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.08.01/

In the game between NC and Hanwha at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 9th, NC starter Hart is pitching hard. Daejeon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2024.06.09/

KT and Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 17th, KT Rojas hitting an RBI timely hit with two outs and third base in the top of the sixth inning. Gocheok = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2024.07.17/

Among the batters, Kang Min-ho stands out the most. In July alone, it topped the list with 11 home runs. He played as a catcher with a heavy physical consumption in the hot weather, with a batting average of .480 (third), 26 RBIs (first), and a slugging percentage of .868 (first). Since there has never been a monthly MVP award since his debut, he is aiming for his first award this time.

Kim Do-young is trying to become MVP for the third time this year alone. He recorded a natural cycling hit, the youngest, and at least 100 points in a game, showing a tremendous impact. In 22 games, he batted .407 (fourth), 33 hits (joint second), seven home runs (joint second), 21 RBIs (joint second), and 25 runs (joint second) in all offensive indicators. He also made more than half of his 33 hits with 10 doubles, one triple and seven home runs, ranking second with a slugging percentage of 0.815 and second in the OPS (1.288).

An Chi-hong, who led Hanwha's rise, was also nominated. An Chi-hong, who proudly ranked No. 1 in batting in July with a batting average of 437, showed a scary batting performance as he played multi-hit games 13 times.

Rojas is the only foreign hitter candidate. It led to the rise of KT. He played a leading role in the leadoff with a batting average of 413 (second place) and 33 hits (joint second place), and ranked fifth with a slugging percentage of 0.625, including four homers, showing his appearance as the first all-around hitter. Thanks to Rojas' performance, KT showed a tremendous rise with 13 wins and 6 losses and a winning rate of 0.684 in July.

The 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League Monthly MVP will be selected monthly by KBO and Shinhan Bank, the KBO League title sponsor. The monthly MVP, which is awarded to the player who showed the best performance in the KBO league every month, selects the final winner by adding up the fan vote and the Korea Baseball Press Association press corps vote. Fan voting will be available from 10 a.m. on the 2nd to 11:59 p.m. on the 7th at Shinhan Bank's mobile application Shinhan SOL Bank.

The monthly MVP winner selected through the final voting results will be given a prize of 2 million won and a monthly MVP commemorative trophy. In addition, a donation of 2 million won will be delivered to the junior high school of the MVP-winning Korean player through the sponsorship of Shinhan Bank for the development of youth baseball.

indyk@sportschosun.com