Jeong’s 18th home run of the season against Lotte puts him just one away from first place
Choi Jeong-jeong, the home run leader, also plays the same third base position.
Hanwha Eagles third baseman Noh Si-hwan continues to chip away at his career high.
Noh hit his 18th home run of the season with a two-run arch in the bottom of the fifth inning against Lotte of the 2023 KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Friday.
It’s an uncharacteristic pace.
After joining Hanwha in the second round (No. 3 overall) in 2019, Noh was seen as the team’s future and given steady opportunities until last year.
After hitting double-digit home runs for the first time in his career in 2020 (12) and a career-high 18 in 2021, he seemed to be living up to expectations, but a brief slump came last year when his home run total dropped to six.
The home runs came back along with weight loss.
After opening the season with just two home runs in the first month, Noh exploded for seven in May and six in June, and has been on a perfect upward trajectory with three home runs already in July.
Hanwha’s performance has been on par with Noh’s as he’s gotten stronger. From last place at the start of the season, Hanwha has now risen to eighth place, thanks in large part to Noh’s increased home run output, including a recent nine-game winning streak.토토사이트
At his current pace, Noh could win his first Golden Glove. The problem is that SSG Choi is an absolute powerhouse at third base.
Choi is batting .311 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs, including leading the league in home runs, and is in MVP mode beyond the Golden Glove.
At the moment, Choi and Noh are not far apart in terms of numbers. Their batting averages are in the low triple digits, their slugging percentages are in the high four figures, and their OPSs are in the mid-to-high nine figures.
In the end, the battle for the best third baseman of the season is likely to go all the way to the end of the season, and will likely be decided by the home run title.