July MVP Candidates Announced! KT, Samsung, Doosan Three-Way Battle → Who Will Take Home the Award: Kwak Bin, Koo Ja-wook, Kim Ji-chan, Benjamin, So Hyoung-jun, Sugimoto, or Hilliard?

*This content was translated by AI.

Seven candidates for the monthly MVP of July, who delivered the most dazzling performances throughout the month in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, have been selected. Three teams — KT Wiz, Doosan Bears, and Samsung Lions — each put forward a candidate, setting the stage for intense internal competition and a battle of pride.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on the 4th that seven players, including four pitchers and three position players, have been nominated as monthly MVP candidates for July following the start of fan voting. These nominees delivered overwhelming performances throughout the month.

In the pitcher category, KT's So Hyoung-jun and Sugimoto, along with Doosan's Kwak Bin and Benjamin, are competing.

So Hyoung-jun of KT appeared in five games in July, recording three wins (tied for first), 30⅓ innings pitched (second), and an ERA of 1.78 (second), firmly holding down the mound. Closer Sugimoto also played a key role as the core of KT's bullpen, earning eight saves over 13 games to lead this category alone, while posting an ERA of 1.38.

Dominant pitchers from Doosan's rotation are also heavily represented among the candidates. Kwak Bin continued his strong performance with a record of three wins and one loss in four games, an ERA of 1.80 (third), and 28 strikeouts (fourth). Benjamin appeared in four games, leading all pitchers with an ERA of 1.21, and recorded 30 strikeouts (second), showcasing his powerful pitching ability.

In the position player category, Samsung's Koo Ja-wook and Kim Ji-chan, along with KT's Hilliard, are vying for fan support.

KT's Hilliard, leveraging his formidable power, recorded nine home runs, 26 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of 0.743 in 19 games during July, sweeping first place in all three categories. With a batting average of 0.365 and an on-base percentage of 0.413, he demonstrated overwhelming presence as the power hitter at the heart of the lineup.

The performance stats of key players leading Samsung's offense are also impressive. Koo Ja-wook recorded 20 runs scored (tied for first), 23 RBIs (second), 33 hits (second), an on-base percentage of 0.443 (third), and a batting average of 0.402 (fourth) in 20 games, placing him near the top across all categories. Kim Ji-chan led both batting average (0.431) and on-base percentage (0.506), while also recording six stolen bases (tied for first), perfectly fulfilling his role as a table-setter.

The 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League Monthly MVP will be jointly organized by the KBO and Shinhan Bank, the title sponsor of the KBO League. Choi Jong (수상) will be determined by combining the results of votes from the Korean Baseball Writers Association and fan voting.

Fan voting is available from 10 a.m. on August 4th until midnight on the 9th via Shinhan Bank's mobile application "Super SOL." The final Monthly MVP winner will receive a cash prize of 3 million won and a commemorative trophy. Additionally, through Shinhan Bank's sponsorship, a donation of 2 million won in the name of the winning domestic player will be delivered to their former middle school.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.