Kim Do-young (21-KIA Tigers) was voted the “Best Star” of the first half of 2024 by KBO League members.
In Sports Chosun’s first-half survey of 50 people from each of the 10 KBO clubs, including five managers, general managers, coaches, and key players from each club, Kim received 35 out of 50 votes in the “First Half MVP” category with 70 percent of the vote.
The runners-up, Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan), Choi Hyung-woo Nail (Kia), and Choi Jeong-jeong (SSG), received only two votes each, and were virtually overwhelmingly recognized by the field as the MVP of the first half.
It was a stellar first half.
Kim became the first player in KBO history to join the 10-10 club in April, hitting 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases from the start of the season through April.
Not even Lee Jong-beom, who has been mentioned in the same breath as Kim, was able to accomplish this feat. After a brief hiatus due to intestinal infections, Do-young joined Park Jae-hong (1996, 2000), Lee Byung-kyu (1999), and Eric Theismann (2015) as the first-half 20-20 club after hitting his 20th home run against the “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin on June 23 against the Gwangju Hanwha. He reached the milestone at the age of 20 years, 8 months, and 21 days, making him the second-youngest player in history to accomplish the feat, 무료고스톱다운받기 behind Kim Jae-hyun (18 years, 11 months, 5 days).
Through 81 games in the first half of the season, Kim is batting .341 (109-for-320) with 23 home runs, 60 RBIs, 26 doubles, and a 1.030 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). In addition to OPS, he leads the league in WAR (Wins Above Replacement – 4.08) and wRC+ (Adjusted Run Creation – 165.3). The purity of his numbers speaks volumes about how great he has been in the first half of the season. If he finishes the season at his current pace, Kim is on pace to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
Rookie Kim Taek-yeon (19) tied for second in MVP voting, proving why he was the “Rookie of the Year 0” this season.
In 38 games and 38⅓ innings pitched in the first half of the season,
Kim went 2-0 with eight saves and four complete games with a 2.35 ERA. He faced 163 batters and gave up just one home run. An extraordinary talent who was labeled as a “wannabe” at the beginning of the season. The rookie was entrusted with a high-pressure closing role, but he blossomed and led the team to the top of the standings.
Choi Hyung-woo (41), the “fixer,” also made the list. He is batting .297 (85-for-297) with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and an OPS of .882 in 77 games, which is unbelievable for his age. He has already surpassed the KBO’s all-time record for most RBIs (4077) held by Lee Seung-yeop, the current manager of the Doosan Bears.
Kia’s new foreign pitcher James Nail, 31, received two endorsements as he helped the team jump to the top of the standings with a 7-2 record and 2.66 ERA in 17 games in the first half. Choi Jung (37), who batted 2-for-7 in 73 games (71 hits in 256 at-bats) with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs and an OPS of 0.971, was another standout performer in the first half.
They were followed by Kang Baek-ho Rojas (KT), Aaron Wilkerson (Lotte Giants), Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung Lions), Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom Heroes), and Moon Sung-joo (LG Twins), who each received one vote.