"Please cast your valuable vote." Two years ago, Park Chan-ho was denied the award → This time, it is "Surpassing Lee Jong-beom – 4th in WAR" Park Sung-han, with no rival at shortstop for the Golden Glove

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Two years ago, despite posting a batting average of 0.301, he had to congratulate Park Chan-ho (31, then KIA), the championship-winning shortstop, on winning the Golden Glove. Now significantly upgraded, Park Sung-han (28, SSG Landers) senses that this time he will finally receive the award.

This season, Park Sung-han played in all 144 games, recording a batting average of 0.330 (175 hits in 530 at-bats), 5 home runs, 71 RBIs, 96 runs scored, and 5 stolen bases. He also posted an on-base percentage of 0.429, a slugging percentage of 0.425, an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.854, and a batting average in scoring position of 0.395.

Park Sung-han, who set the record for playing in every game for the first time since his debut in 2017, ranked 5th in batting average, 4th in total hits, and 3rd in on-base percentage. He also placed 4th overall with a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 6.98 (based on Stats Zone), a metric that most intuitively shows a player's relative value in modern baseball. Among shortstops, he was clearly first.

He also proved his value through various records. From the opening game against KIA in Incheon on March 28 last year to the game against KT in Incheon on April 24, he recorded hits in 22 consecutive games, surpassing Kim Yong-hee (Lotte, 18 games) in 1982 to set a new KBO League record for the most consecutive games with a hit since the league's inception.

Additionally, he reached base a total of 269 times this season, including 175 hits and 94 walks or hit-by-pitches. This figure surpassed Lee Jong-beom's (then Haitai) 253 bases on balls in 1994, when he won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, setting a new all-time record for the most times reaching base by a shortstop.

The fact that these records were achieved while playing shortstop defense—a position known as the "flower of defense" due to its heavy physical burden—further elevates Park Sung-han's value.

Park Sung-han, who met with reporters at Incheon SSG Landers Field ahead of the event match "Choi Gwang Baseball 1429" held on the 17th last month, expressed his determination as a starting pitcher and, after finishing the interview, did not hide his desire for the Golden Glove by saying, "Please cast your valuable vote."

The Golden Glove, which honors the player who performed best at each position during the season, is determined by a vote among reporters. Park Sung-han, well aware of this, cautiously brought up the topic first.

There is a regretful memory. In 2024, Park Sung-han performed brilliantly with a batting average of 0.301. He received 118 votes (a vote share of 40.9%) out of 288 total votes but had to settle for second place, trailing Park Chan-ho (154 votes, a vote share of 53.5%), who led KIA to the championship.

The consensus is that he has virtually no rivals this time. He is dominant in batting. His defense is not yet at the top level. After establishing himself as the starting shortstop, he recorded the fewest errors with 15, but his Defensive Wins Above Replacement was 0.937, placing him 4th behind Kim Ju-won (NC, 2.019), Jeon Min-jae (Lotte, 1.970), and Park Chan-ho (Doosan, 1.576). However, the gap in these figures is significant.

However, it is a fact that the Golden Glove clearly places more weight on batting records, and with the establishment of the KBO Defensive Award starting in 2023, the importance of batting has grown even further. This can be seen as setting a more favorable stage for Park Sung-han. It appears that Park Sung-han, who left regrets two years ago, will finally be able to smile this time.

Voting will take place until the 23rd. The Golden Glove ceremony is scheduled to be held on December 8 at the Seoul Lotte Hotel World, after all post-season schedules are completed.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original