It was narrowed down to a two-way race, with the 5th selection of LG in Naeil, the competition for KT's muscle man in Star-sung

May 26, 2025

It was narrowed down to a two-way race, with the 5th selection of LG in Naeil, the competition for KT's muscle man in Star-sung
Sportschosun DB



A rookie competition that's as interesting as a ranking competition.

It's in the lead, it's in the middle, and the ranking changes when you wake up. The scene is bleeding dry, but the fans watching are having so much fun.

Another interesting point to watch this season is the competition for the Rookie of the Year. The rookie award that can only be received once in a lifetime, so in a way, it could be more meaningful than MVP.




Last year, high school graduate Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan) easily won the Rookie of the Year title with her overwhelming performance. This year, however, there are signs that competition will continue until the end.

First of all, as in last year, 'pure rookies' seem to be losing ground in the competition for now. Bae Chan-seung (Samsung) was in the must-win group with tremendous ball power, and he seemed to hit the lead in the beginning, but he has recently lost his strength. Jung Woo-joo (Hanwha) is also playing well in the bullpen, but he does not have enough presence to enter the competition for the Rookie of the Year.

This year, 'second-hand newcomers' are leading the game. At this point, it is compressed into a two-way race.




It was narrowed down to a two-way race, with the 5th selection of LG in Naeil, the competition for KT's muscle man in Star-sung
The LG-SSG match held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 25th. Starter Song Seung-ki is smiling proud as he is replaced at first base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Incheon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.25/
First of all, the most likely candidate is left-hander Song Seung-gi, who is making tremendous efforts to lead the LG Twins. Song Seung-ki, who took the 5th starting position with the full support of head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop ahead of this season, has not lost his starting position at Star Corps LG so far. No, it's not that I lost my seat, but I think it would be more appropriate to say whether LG would have been on the rise without Song Seung-ki. There is no player who is indispensable now.

Song Seung-ki achieved his fifth win of the season by pitching fantastic with nine strikeouts and no runs in six ⅔ innings against SSG Landers on the 25th. He won three consecutive games against Kiwoom Heroes on the 14th and Lotte Giants on the 20th. At the beginning of the season, he threw well, but his luck did not follow, so he did not stand out that much with 'lack of wins', but now he is considered the most likely candidate because he is expected to win more than 10 games. It's not fancy, but it has a good interior. He has a 2.83 ERA. I can't believe it's a full-time first season performance.

It was narrowed down to a two-way race, with the 5th selection of LG in Naeil, the competition for KT's muscle man in Star-sung
KT Ahn Hyun-min hitting a game between KIA and KT at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 22nd. Suwon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.05.22/
But there is a strong competitor. KT Wiz 'Muscle Man'Ahn Hyun-min. Due to the team's poor batting, head coach Lee Kang-chul began to release 'Let's use it for now' and 'Super Big Bang' exploded. With a batting average of 3337 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 24 games, he quickly emerged as a KT-centered hitter. Although his performance has slowed down a little due to the opponent's intensive checks recently, he is still producing hits steadily.




Ahn Hyun-min's strength is star quality. First of all, they show off their great charm to the viewers. The strong batting from the muscular body makes me feel scared. If you get hit, the distance is huge. Not only does it have power, but it also has contact ability, pioneering eye, and speed. In addition, the story of writing an anti-war drama with the power of a former active cook who joined the military and became tremendously fit for baseball also draws attention. Manager Lee began to take care of his disciples, saying, `If you have more than 20 home runs, your chances of winning the Rookie of the Year award will increase.'

It remains to be seen whether the challenge to win the Rookie of the Year title in the 2025 season will continue to flow into the competition between the two or whether unexpected ambush will appear again.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.