A-seop Son, with a total of 2,416 hits, is close to surpassing Yong-taek Park with 2,504 hits.
NC Dinos' leading hitter Son Ah-seop (35) will write new history in the KBO League in 2024.
Son Ah-seop played in 140 games this year and left good records of 0.339 (187 hits in 551 at-bats), 5 home runs, 65 RBIs, 97 runs, and 14 stolen bases. He recorded an on-base percentage of 0.393.
After his debut, he was ranked first in batting, and ranked first in most hits for the fourth time in his career. He ranked third in scoring and seventh in on-base percentage.
Even though he was in his mid-30s, his batting skills were among the best in the league. His unique, concise swing still proved excellent at dealing with fast balls and breaking balls.
NC ranked 4th in the regular league this year thanks to Son Ah-seop's performance. Even in the postseason, Son Ah-seop boasted a hot batting ability with a batting average of 0.385 (15 hits in 39 at-bats).
He became the first player in KBO League history to achieve 150 hits for 8 consecutive seasons (previously Park Yong-taek had 150 hits for 7 consecutive seasons) and the second player ever to achieve 200 bases for 11 consecutive seasons.
He won the Golden Glove Award in the designated hitter category this year and was selected as the best player of the year by the Korea Professional Baseball Retired Players Association.
Son Ah-seop is on the verge of a major record.
Son A-seop, who debuted with the Lotte Giants in 2007 and played until 2021, hit a total of 2,077 hits. Son Ah-seop, who seemed likely to remain as Lotte's one-club man, moved to the new home after receiving a love call from NC.
However, in 2022, the first year of his transfer, he suffered from extreme sluggish batting. He showed erratic hitting throughout the season, and recorded the lowest batting average (0.277) in a season in which he played full time.
There was also concern that it might be an aging curve (a period of decline in athletic ability).
Son Ah-seop, who has been working hard ahead of the 2023 season, has shown a hot batting ability since mid-April this year, and in September, he recorded a high batting average of over .400, showing an upper hand in the title competition with young players.
Immediately after winning the Golden Glove on the 11th, Son Ah-seop said, “While preparing for this season, I was really desperate and thought that there was no way back, but the results were good. He pledged, “I will work harder to be able to attend the top awards ceremony next season as well.”
Son Ah-seop hit a total of 2,416 hits in the KBO League. He closely followed career leader Park Yong-taek (2504 hits, retired). He will make history as soon as he hits 89 hits.
Choi Hyung-woo (2,323 hits, KIA Tigers) and Kim Hyun-soo (2,236 hits, LG Twins), who are third in history and second in active history, are chasing Son A-seop.
Because there are chasers in Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Hyun-soo, Son Ah-seop may become even fiercer next season. With his tenacity, there is a possibility that he could surpass Park Yong-taek and reach the unknown 3,000 hits. 19가이드03