SSG’s Choi, 36, is a five-time Korean Series champion and has won the Golden Glove eight times, the most in KBO history.바카라
But there’s one title he doesn’t have: the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, which is given to the best player in the game.
Choi was drafted in the first round by SK (now SSG) in 2005, and the following year, in 2006, he was nicknamed the Boy Wonder after hitting double-digit home runs as a teenager.
His streak of double-digit home runs in a season has now stretched to 18 consecutive years. He also won the home run title in 2016, 2017, and 2021.
As such, Choi is a prime example of a so-called “bargain free agent,” a player who gets a lot of bang for his buck despite signing a hefty free agent contract.
In 2015, Choi signed a four-year, $8.6 billion contract, the highest in history at the time, and in his second free agency, he extended it to six years and won a jackpot of $10.6 billion. His steady performance has led some baseball fans to say he’s worth every penny.
The only disappointment is that he could have won the MVP award several times, especially in 2017. Choi hit .316 with 46 home runs and 113 RBIs, but he failed to win his first MVP award, losing out to Yang Hyun-jong, who led his team to the championship that year.
Choi is off to a strong start this season.
Choi is currently batting .319 with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs in 67 games. He is closing the gap on second-place LG’s Park Dong-won (14) and is on pace to become the first player to reach the 20-homer plateau. He also leads the league in RBIs, so he’s a top-of-the-order hitter who strikes fear into opposing batteries.
He’s got a great supporting cast. In fact, Choi has always been the center of attention from opponents due to his dominant performance, but this season he has more chances thanks to Heredia, who leads the team in hitting, as well as Choi Ji-hoon, Choo Shin-soo, and Choi Joo-hwan, who are all hitting up front and behind him.
Mathematically, Choi can reach 40 home runs this season. He’s also on pace for well over 100 RBIs, so if he keeps up his current hitting form, he could very well win his first MVP.