From MVP-worthy slugger to bearded aces, foreign players dominate KBO statistical leaderboards

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 7, 2020, Kim Ha-seong of the Kiwoom Heroes tosses his bat after hitting a solo home run against the NC Dinos during the bottom of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 16, 2020, Na Sung-bum of the NC Dinos (R) celebrates with teammate Lee Myung-ki after hitting a walk-off single against the Lotte Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 15, 2020, Jose Miguel Fernandez of the Doosan Bears celebrates his single against the Hanwha Eagles during the bottom of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 18, 2020, Dan Straily of the Lotte Giants pitches against the NC Dinos during the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Sept. 6, 2020, Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes pitches against the KT Wiz during the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 11, 2020, Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz hits a solo home run against the Doosan Bears in the bottom of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

baseball season-stars

From MVP-worthy slugger to bearded aces, foreign players dominate KBO statistical leaderboards

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- It's hardly a secret that foreign players are counted on to carry the offensive and pitching loads for their clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Rare is a team that can win a title or even just contend for a postseason spot without strong performances of foreign players.

This year, stars from overseas have made their presence felt more so than in recent seasons.

On the hitting side, KT Wiz outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. has been a threat to win the batting Triple Crown for most of the season, though he may come up short in the batting title. He entered Friday leading the KBO with 47 home runs and 135 RBIs but trailing Choi Hyoung-woo of the Kia Tigers in batting average, .354 to .350.

The last batting Triple Crown winner was Lotte Giants' slugger Lee Dae-ho in 2010. No foreign player has pulled off that feat.

Choi wraps up his season Saturday in a makeup game against the NC Dinos -- one day after everyone else will have finished.

Rojas Jr. will become the first foreign hitter with an outright KBO home run title since Larry Sutton, of the now-defunct Hyundai Unicorns, in 2005. There have been only two foreign batting champions since KBO teams were allowed to import players in 1998: Eric Thames (.381) in 2015 and Cliff Brumbaugh (.343) in 2004.

With or without the Triple Crown, Rojas Jr. is a strong MVP candidate, as he has carried the Wiz to their first-ever postseason.

Trailing Rojas in the home run department is the LG Twins' first-year import, Roberto Ramos, with 38. He has missed time with assorted injuries throughout the season, and he likely would have put more pressure on Rojas if he'd stayed healthy.

Rojas and Ramos will be the first pair of foreign players to finish 1-2 in a home run race in KBO history.

In the contact department, Jose Miguel Fernandez of the Doosan Bears entered Friday with 198 hits, needing four more in his final game to set a new single-season record.

Seo Geon-chang of the Nexen (now Kiwoom) Heroes established the record with 201 hits in 2014, when he played the entire 128-game season. Fernandez has played all 143 games so far.

On the mound, bearded aces have ruled the day.

Kiwoom Heroes' left-hander Eric Jokisch is scheduled to start Friday against the Bears, with an ERA title on the line. He currently leads the pack with 2.10, over two pitchers whose seasons are already done: Dan Straily of the Lotte Giants and Aaron Brooks of the Kia Tigers, both at 2.50.

Raul Alcantara of the Doosan Bears, who also sports a beard, isn't too far behind at 2.64. He leads all starters with 19 wins. He'll be going for win No. 20 against the Heroes on Friday.

LG Twins' right-hander Casey Kelly, who would give Jokisch and Straily a run for the money with facial hair, has been one of the very best in the second half of the season, with an 11-1 record and a 2.22 ERA. He had been 4-6 with a 4.38 ERA in his first 15 starts of the season.

The top six pitchers in innings pitched and top four in strikeouts are all foreign hurlers. Straily, in particular, led the way with 205 Ks, becoming only the second foreign pitcher and 10th pitcher overall in league history to surpass the 200-strikeout mark.

Straily's teammate, shortstop Dixon Machado, has been one of the league's top defenders at any position this year, that rare player who is loved by advanced fielding numbers and also passes the eye test with highlight-reel plays.

Among homegrown stars, NC Dinos' catcher Yang Eui-ji, the runner-up in last year's MVP voting, has put together another MVP-worthy season. While playing his typically stout defense, Yang also became the first catcher in league history with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He had 33 homers and 124 RBIs through Thursday.

Yang's teammate, Na Sung-bum, would be the easy choice for the Comeback Player of the Year Award if the KBO had one. After missing 121 of 144 games last season with a devastating knee injury, Na has returned with a career-high 33 home runs, along with 110 RBIs and a .324/.391/.596 line.

Na, 31, is expected to be posted for interested major league clubs this offseason. The former outfielder spent most of this season as designated hitter and his defensive upside may be limited, but he has proven he can hit for power and average at this level.

Another player who will likely be posted is the Heroes' shortstop Kim Ha-seong, who is enjoying the best offensive season of his career at just the right time.

Kim joined the 20-20 club for the second time this season with a career-high 30 home runs and 23 steals. He was slashing .308/.399/.526 through Thursday, all of which would be his career-best marks. He will also finish the season with more walks (75) than strikeouts (68).

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