Both performance and popularity have been captured by 'Elrotgisamhana', which has now also won the hearts of All-Star fans.
The KBO announced on the 23rd the list of the best 12 players for the All-Star game to be held on July 12 at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. Kim Seo-hyeon (Hanwha), in the finishing department of the sharing All-Star, received the highest ever All-Star fan vote with 1,786,837 votes, earning the honor of being this year's top vote-getter in the All-Star fan voting. Kim Seo-hyeon also received 220 votes in the player voting, ranking first with a total score of 54.19.
The second-highest vote-getter was Yoon Dong-hee of Lotte, selected in the Dream All-Star outfielder sector, who received 1,717,766 votes.
The best 12 players are selected based on 70% fan voting and 30% player voting. While the best 12 list can sometimes be overturned by player voting, fan interest mainly determines the All-Star best 12 list. This year, performance has been linked to fan sentiment. The five teams known as 'Elrotgisamhana', LG, Lotte, KIA, Samsung, and Hanwha, which are guaranteed to be box office successes, are all included in the top five, which can advance to the postseason. Hanwha, LG, Lotte, KIA, and Samsung are ranked within the top five. These five teams practically monopolized the Dream and Sharing All-Star best 12. Among the 24 players, 21 were from 'Elrotgisamhana'. The other three teams included NC with two players (sharing second baseman Park Min-woo, outfielder Park Gun-woo), and SSG with one player (Dream third baseman Choi Jeong).
Despite the absence of key players, Lotte, which is in third place, produced the most players with six. Among them, the second-highest All-Star vote-getter Yoon Dong-hee, along with closer Kim Won-jung, made his third appearance in the best 12 list, while second baseman Go Seung-min received the most votes from player voting with 169 votes, marking his first All-Star selection. Additionally, Jeon Min-jae, who joined through a trade this year, was also selected in the Dream All-Star shortstop sector, also marking his debut All-Star. He received an overwhelming 1,579,413 fan votes and 178 player votes.
Joined by Yoon Dong-hee, Víctor Reyes, who broke the record for most hits last year with 202 hits and is currently leading in hits again this year, is also selected as a Dream All-Star outfielder, and Jeon Jun-woo is named the top fan vote-getter in the designated hitter sector, making his fifth appearance in the best 12.
Following Lotte, Samsung had five players selected. Currently, Samsung is ranked fifth in the league. In the starting pitcher sector, Won Tae-in, and in the middle pitcher sector, rookie Bae Chan-seung succeeded in a landslide victory in player voting, securing a position in the best 12 list, becoming the sixth high school graduate selected in history, surpassing Lotte's Jeong Cheol-won. This is the third pitcher selection after LG's Jeong Woo-young and Doosan's Kim Taek-yeon.
In the outfielder sector, Gu Ja-wook makes his ninth appearance in the best 12, while Edwin Díaz, the home run leader in the first baseman sector, joins the best 12 and will take the All-Star stage.
Hanwha, which is currently leading the pack with a stunning performance, had four players selected for the best 12. Following Kim Seo-hyeon, who shines with the most votes, starting pitcher Cody Ponce, and middle pitcher Park Sang-won were also selected, capturing all spots in the sharing All-Star pitching sector. Ponce received overwhelming support from both fan and player voting. Additionally, outfielder Florial was selected, leading to four of Hanwha's players receiving the honor of being in the All-Star best 12 at their home stadium. However, Florial's participation in the All-Star game is uncertain due to injury.
The second-place LG had a total of three players selected in the sharing All-Star, including catcher Park Dong-won, first baseman Austin, and Park Hae-min. Park Dong-won was selected for the best 12 in the sharing All-Star for the fourth consecutive year, while Park Hae-min earned the honor of being selected for the All-Star best 12 for the first time as a member of LG.
Meanwhile, the defending champion KIA, which is missing many key players due to injuries, also managed to have three players selected, saving face. Currently recovering from a hamstring injury, Kim Do-young received outstanding fan support with 1,099,680 votes and was selected in the sharing All-Star third baseman sector, despite only 70 player votes. In the shortstop sector, Park Chan-ho was selected, and in the designated hitter sector, Choi Hyung-woo was also selected. Choi Hyung-woo has been named the oldest 'Mr. All-Star' in 2024 and will once again step onto the stage as an All-Star best 12. He narrowly claimed a best 12 spot over Hanwha's Moon Hyun-bin after fierce competition, with a total score of 32.98, just 0.21 points ahead of Moon Hyun-bin's 32.71.
On the other hand, Doosan and KT from the Dream All-Star and Kiwoom from the sharing All-Star did not produce a single All-Star player. KT is currently ranked 7th and is in a position to move up at any time, while Doosan and Kiwoom remain in 9th and 10th place, respectively.
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