‘Batting Double Crown’ Kim Do-young vs. Kwak Bin, or ‘New Record for Most Hits’ Reyes? KBO MVP Candidates Announced... Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year Candidates Also Revealed

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Will it be the batting double crown winner, the pitching double crown winner, or the foreign hitter who rewrote Korean baseball history? The candidates for this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) have been narrowed down.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has finalized the candidates for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year awards.

The MVP and Rookie of the Year candidates were selected jointly by the KBO and the Korean Baseball Writers Association, with voting to begin on the 13th, the day after the regular season concluded. Voting for the Manager of the Year award, newly established last year, will also be conducted simultaneously.

The KBO MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year awards are determined by a plurality vote system, with the player (manager) receiving the most votes selected as the winner. Members of the Korean Baseball Writers Association who covered the 2026 season KBO League, along with reporters from local media outlets, will participate in the voting.

Fourteen players were selected as MVP candidates for their outstanding performances this season, including title holders in various league categories and those who posted strong results. Among pitchers, seven candidates were named: Kwak Bin, who won the double crown in ERA (2.24) and strikeouts (197); Im Chan-gyu (LG) and Ko Young-pyo, who tied for the most wins (15 wins); So Hyoung-jun, who led the league in winning percentage (0.769); Sugimoto Kouki, who won the saves crown with 25 holds (all KT Wiz); Kim Jae-yoon, who won the saves crown with 35 saves; and Choi Min-seok (Doosan), who finished second in wins with 14 victories.

Among position players, seven candidates were named: Kim Do-young (KIA), who led the league in home runs (45) and slugging percentage (0.647); Koo Ja-yuk (Samsung), who led in batting average (0.371) and on-base percentage (0.458); Victor Reyes, who set a new KBO League record for most hits with 211; Hwang Seong-bin (Lotte Giants), who won the stolen base crown with 55 steals; Choi Won-jun, who led in runs scored with 125; and Sam Hilliard (both KT Wiz), who led in runs batted in with 139 RBIs. A total of 14 players were registered as candidates.

Rookie of the Year candidates were selected based on Article 7 of the KBO Awards Regulations, from among all players who joined in 2026 or within the last five years (2021–2025), excluding the current year, whose cumulative records do not exceed 30 innings for pitchers and 60 at-bats for batters. Players who were previously affiliated with overseas professional baseball organizations were excluded from consideration.

Among players meeting the criteria, six rookie candidates posted strong results: Kim Min-jun (SSG Landers), who secured nine wins despite starting his season late; and Woo Kang-hoon (LG Twins), who recorded 20 holds. Among position players, three candidates were named: Heo In-seo (Hanwha Eagles), who hit 20 home runs; and Moon Jung-bin (LG Twins), who hit 19 home runs and posted an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.893.

For the Manager of the Year award, all managers who led the 10th KBO League teams in the 2026 season are candidates. The Season MVP, Shin In-sang (수상) will be announced at the KBO Awards ceremony to be held in November. In particular, the Season MVP recipient is scheduled to receive a trophy along with a Kia EV5 as a prize.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original