Oh Ji-hwan received 154 votes out of a total of 291 at the 2023 KBO Golden Glove Awards held at the COEX Auditorium in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 11th. He beat KIA Park Chan-ho, who received 120 votes with 52.9% of the vote and 41.2% of the vote. The votes were as fierce as the performance of the two in the regular season. 스포츠토토사이트
This season, Oh posted an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.767 with eight homers and 16 stolen bases in 126 games. He pitched 1,010.2 innings in defense against shortstop. Park had a batting average of 0.301 with three homers and 30 stolen bases in 130 games, posting an OPS of 0.734. He pitched 1042.2 innings in defense against shortstop, higher than Oh.
In terms of batting average, Oh Ji-hwan with a wRC+ (adjusted scoring capacity) of 121.9 outperformed Park Chan-ho with a wRC+ of 108.4. In contrast, Park Chan-ho was superior in defense. The fact that voting time for the Golden Glove was after the Korean Series, not after the end of the regular season, may have played a role in Oh's favor. Oh displayed remarkable batting average of 0.316 with three homers and eight RBIs and 1.251 in five games of the Korean Series. Notably, he launched a three-run shot in the ninth inning, which led his team to win the championship in Game 3.
Oh emphasized that the gloves were not just earned. "I think the position of shortstop was very competitive," he said after being named the best shortstop for two consecutive years. "I actually thank Chan-ho for coming here first," he said. "He's a really cool guy. He's younger than me, but I have to learn these things from him. I had conversations with Chan-ho several times at the ballpark, and I will continue to talk with him. I will ask him many things as he hit .300 this year," he said to Park, expressing his gratitude to him for visiting the award ceremony.
Park Chan-ho visited the awards ceremony to congratulate his idol Oh Ji-hwan, rather than looking at the award. He also predicted that this event would give him motivation.
"Honestly, I know it's not easy. Still, I wanted to come and see this stage in person," Park said ahead of the ceremony. "I'm so happy that I'm constantly mentioning my idol, my senior. I'll be here as a winner someday. I'm here to congratulate the winner and prepare for the time when I receive it. If you can see the scenery of the ceremony in advance, it will be more convenient for you to win the award later."
As expected, the result of the vote was a two-way race between Oh Ji-hwan and Park Chan-ho. However, chances are high that a fiercer competition will be formed in 2024. There are new players who are growing into the core of their teams, including NC Kim Joo-won and Samsung's Lee Jae-hyun. In addition, Kiwoom's second baseman Kim Hye-sung vowed to return to shortstop the following year. Kim Hye-sung was awarded the Golden Glove in 2021. There are many shortstop players including SSG Park Sung-han, Lotte's Noh Jin-hyuk, and KT's Kim Sang-soo.
Oh's opinion was not the same. "There are many excellent shortstop players, including Park Chan-ho and Park Sung-han. Doesn't Kim Hye-sung say he will return to shortstop as well? Having many good shortstop players gives me more motivation," he said.
2023 has been an unforgettable year for Oh. He finished a season with the most excitement since joining the professional league as the unified champion and the MVP of the Korean Series. However, it was not a career-high season. In 2022, when he won his first Golden Glove award, Oh achieved his first career goal of 20-20 with 25 home runs and 20 steals. He also hit 20 home runs in 2016, and there were seven double-digit home run seasons that he failed to achieve this year.
This could make it even fiercer. From Oh Ji-hwan, who can make a better season, to Kim Sang-soo, who is the same age and rival of Oh, Kim Hye-sung, who is aiming for the second golden glove for shortstop, to Noh Jin-hyuk, who can always hit double-digit home runs. Park Chan-ho, who grows every year. Even rookie players Kim Joo-won and Lee Jae-hyun are enjoying their heyday as shortstop in the KBO League.