The sincerity contained in the third baseman Golden Glove delivered by Lee Bum-ho, beyond the “second Lee Bum-ho” and the Roh Si-hwan era in 2023 안전놀이터
The KBO Golden Glove Awards held on the 11th seemed to mark the era of Roh Si-hwan (23).
KIA Tigers batting coach Lee Bum-ho (42), who came out as a third baseman, said ahead of the announcement, “I think Noh will get it.” It is Noh Si-hwan, who has been called the successor of Kim Tae-kyun and the second Lee Bum-ho since joining the Hanwha Eagles. That's right. The names of the two hitters, Legends, were with Noh Si-hwan. I had high hopes for Noh's growth.
He graduated from Gyeongnam High School and became a top player in his fifth year as a professional player. Lee Bum-ho, a senior who received the Golden Glove as a third baseman in Hanwha from 2005 to 2006, called for Noh Si-hwan. The Golden Glove winner for Hanwha third baseman was born 17 years after Lee Bum-ho.
There are two third basemen who shine in the history of the KBO league. They are Han Dae-hwa, former Hanwha coach (63) and SSG Landers Choi Jeong (36). They both have eight Golden Gloves as third basemen.
Han Dae-hwa, a member of Haitai Tigers, moved to the LG Twins for six consecutive years from 1986 to 1991, and won the title for two consecutive years from 1993 to 1994. Choi Jong-un is a winner from 2011 to 2013, 2016 to 2017, 2019 and 2021 to 2022. Since he took eight Golden Gloves in 12 years, it deserves to be called the “Choi Jeong-era.”
During this period, Park Seok-min (Samsung NC) received twice, and Heo Kyung-min (Doosan) and Hwang Jae-gyun (KT) received once each.
Noh Si-hwan won the prize, beating his senior of 13 years, who was about to win the prize for the ninth time. He received 245 votes out of 291 votes. He garnered 84.2 percent of the votes. He won the prize for the first time with overwhelming support. Choi received 5.5 percent and 16 votes.
Without Noh Si-hwan, Choi would have been able to achieve his ninth win. Despite lingering injuries, he played in 128 games with a batting average of 297 (or 140 hits in 471 times at bat), 29 homers and 87 RBIs. He ranked second in homers, seventh in RBIs, a slugging percentage (0.548) and No. 1 in OPS
Noh Si-hwan said, “Thank you” to his senior Choi Jeong. Choi Jeong praised and encouraged Noh even during the home run competition, mentioning him. The competition made Noh Si-hwan the No. 1 homerun and RBI.
It is all the more meaningful in that he overcame his frustrations to confirm his growth. He had six home runs and 59 RBIs last year. He was embarrassed as the fourth batter who had 18 home runs and 84 RBIs a year ago. In other words, he had a sudden break while running forward. “It was a shameful season,” he said.
I prepared strong from practicing in the spring camp in Okinawa. I hit homers continuously from practice games. I topped the exhibition game with homers and became the homerun king in the regular season.
He played in all 131 games except 13 games that were held during the call-up period for the national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He had a batting average of 298 with 153 hits, 31 homers, 101 RBIs and 0.929. He had more than 30 homers and 100 RBIs alone this season. He was the fourth batter for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC).
The fruit of growth was sweet.
Will 2023 be remembered as the first year to mark the “old age”.
