Kia Tigers third baseman Kim Do-yeong has earned the top monthly award for the second time in the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season.

The KBO announced on Wednesday Kim was voted the Player of the Month for June, following voting by the media and fans.

Kim only ranked third among eight candidates in the media voting, after collecting six of 30 votes. Kiwoom Heroes second baseman Kim Hye-seong led all players with 13 votes from the media.

In this file photo from June 23, 2024, Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Hanwha Eagles during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

However, Kim Do-yeong dominated the fan voting, with 245,598 out of 507,615 total votes. His total votes were converted to 34.54 points, and Kim Hye-seong, who had 47,854 votes from fans to rank third in that category, finished with 27.13 points.

In June, Kim led the KBO wi
th 27 runs scored and ranked second with eight home runs. He was third with a .681 slugging percentage, fourth with a .468 on-base percentage, and second in on-base plus slugging with 1.149.

On June 23, with his seventh home run of the month, Kim became the first player this season to have at least 20 home runs and 20 steals. He also became the fourth player to join the 20-20 club before the All-Star break.

He was also voted the Player of the Month for April, after becoming the first KBO player to hit at least 10 homers and steal 10 bags in a single month.

Kim is the first player since former Heroes star Lee Jung-hoo in 2022 to nab two Player of the Month awards in the same season.

Kim will receive a trophy and 2 million won (US$1,440) in prize money. Shinhan Bank, the official sponsor for the KBO, will donate 2 million won to Kim’s alma mater, Dongsung Middle School in the southern city of Gwangju, in the player’s name.

Source: Yonhap News Agency