Cream of the crop

Four teammates of the Nexen Heroes, plus a pitcher from the Samsung Lions, will vie for the top individual award in South Korean pro baseball this season.

The Korea Baseball Organization announced five candidates for the annual MVP award on Saturday. Headlining the list is the Heroes’ first baseman Park Byung-ho, who won the MVP in 2012 and 2013.

Park led the KBO with 52 home runs and 124 RBIs, and it’s the third straight season in which he topped the league in the two categories. He became just the third KBO player to hit at least 50 homers in one season.

Park will go up against three teammates: second baseman Seo Geon-chang, who set the KBO’s single-season record for hits with 201 and for runs scored with 135; shortstop Kang Jung-ho, who belted 40 home runs and drove in 117 runs, both single-season records for a shortstop; and starting pitcher Andy Van Hekken, who became the sixth KBO pitcher to record at least 20 wins in starts.

These four players helped the Heroes finish the regular season with the second best record, 78-48-2.

The KBO said this is the second time a team produced four MVP candidates in one season, after the Lions did so in 1987.

The fifth MVP candidate is pitcher Rick van den Hurk of the Lions, who clinched their fourth consecutive pennant with a record of 78-47-3.

Van den Hurk, in his second KBO season, led the league with a 3.18 ERA and 180 strikeouts, while tying for fourth in victories with 13.

Three candidates for the Rookie of the Year award were also announced Saturday.

They are Nexen pitcher Cho Sang-woo, NC Dinos infielder Park Min-woo and Samsung outfielder Park Hae-min.

Cho went 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings as a middle reliever for the Heroes.

Park Min-woo batted .298 and stole 50 bases while scoring 87 runs in 118 games.

Park Hae-min hit .297 in 119 games, stealing 36 bases.

The voting results will be announced in a ceremony scheduled for Nov. 18 in Seoul. (Yonhap)