Professional baseball KIA Tigers shortstop Park Chan-ho (28) is looking forward to the 2024 season.
On top of whether he will be able to become the “300,000 shortstop” for the second consecutive year following last year, critics say that he deserves to be named the first golden glove in his career. In addition, Park has become the highest-paid player in his team by signing a “300 million won” in his salary contract this year, up 50 percent from the previous year.
Park Chan-ho set the batting average of around .300 for the first time since his professional debut in the 2023 season. He played 130 games as the team’s main shortstop, garnering 136 hits and hitting three home runs. He had the highest batting average of .3001 in his professional career.
Notably, he displayed tremendous presence when he got on base. He stole a total of 30 bases and saw his success rate reach 78.9 percent last season. He ranks first in his team and third in the entire league.
Around the time when Kia achieved nine consecutive wins in the middle of the season, it created a stir in the league with “fast-footed baseball” by table setters including Kim Do-young (20) and Choi Won-jun (26), with Park Chan-ho as the vanguard. He played whenever he had the opportunity. Manager Kim Jong-guk also praised Park Chan-ho, Kim Do-young and Choi Won-joon at the time, saying, “Since Park Chan-ho, Kim Do-young, and Choi Won-joon move briskly at the table setter, they will take turns to solve the problem and enable them to score multiple points.”
Needless to say, his defense capability goes without saying. He is considered one of the best defense players in KIA’s infield defense. He also proved his capability by winning the KBO defense award in shortstop category with Oh Ji-hwan (33, LG Twins), a “senior shortstop.”
A big gift was given to Park Chan-ho, who was active last season in many ways. He started the new season with a clear treatment this season.
Kia announced on Wednesday that it has finalized contracts with 46 players who are eligible to renew their contracts for the 2024 season. Park signed a contract at 300 million won (347,800 U.S. dollars), up 50 percent from last year. Except for free agents and foreign players in his team, Park has become the highest paid player.
Park’s sights are now on the 2024 season. It was obvious that he had the best season last year, but there were some regrets. He missed the “golden glove” given to the player who performed the best in each position.
Park, who garnered 120 votes out of 291 for media, lost the golden glove by 34 votes behind Oh Ji-hwan (154 votes), who competed for the record at the same position throughout the season. It was the minimum gap of votes among all positions.
Despite this, Park was applauded. Players who are less likely to win awards tend not to attend awards ceremonies, as they showed up on the day. In addition, Park even congratulated Oh Ji-hwan from the bottom of her heart.
“Actually, I didn’t intend to come, but I attended to show my dignity,” Park said at the 2023 Shinhan Bank Sol KBO Golden Glove Awards held at COEX Auditorium in southern Seoul. “It’s an honor just to be mentioned with Oh Ji-hwan. I feel like I’m one step closer to Oh, so I’m enjoying it.”
Seniors also applauded Park’s performance. First of all, Oh Ji-hwan, a former competitor, thanked Park, saying, “You are so cool just to attend the award ceremony.” Park Kun-woo (33) of NC Dinos, who attended the award ceremony seven years ago but failed to win the award, also said, “(Park) Chan-ho is still young. I hope he doesn’t give up and works harder to become an athlete who can receive good results.”
Park Chan-ho said, “I don’t have too much ambition,” but he expressed his subtle ambition for the Golden Glove. “I want to win a Golden Glove someday in my baseball career. Now that I have learned the scenery of the award ceremony, I want to come as a winner next time.”
Will Park be able to show his best performance for the second consecutive year as he is able to start the new season in a good mood? Another key point to watch is whether Park will be able to bring the Golden Glove, which he missed last year, this year.
BY: 토토사이트 순위