Was it too much effort for the debut home run derby? "The Muscle Man of Great Power" Ahn Hyun-min (KT Wiz) managed only four home runs, failing to advance to the finals and finishing last in the preliminary round, an unexpected turn of events.
Ahn Hyun-min managed to hit four home runs during the preliminary round of the 2025 KBO All-Star Game Com2uS Pro Baseball Home Run Derby held at Hanwha Life Park in Daejeon on the 11th.
Ahn Hyun-min received 27,053 votes in the fan poll to select players for the home run derby, defeating strong sluggers like season home run leader Lewin Diaz (Samsung Lions) and KBO career home run record holder Choi Jeong (SSG Landers) to take first place. This indicated the high expectations surrounding Ahn Hyun-min, who demonstrated immense power over just two months in the first half of the season.
Ahn Hyun-min, who burst onto the scene like a comet in May, had a batting average of .333 with nine home runs, earning a spot as a candidate for the monthly MVP. He then upgraded his performance in June with a batting average of .346, four home runs, and 16 RBIs, and currently boasts a batting average of .500 with three home runs, seven RBIs, and ten walks.
Ahn Hyun-min has a season batting average of .356 over 60 games, with 77 hits, 16 home runs, 53 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .648, an on-base percentage of .465, and an OPS of 1.113, wreaking havoc in the league. His batting average with runners in scoring position is also an impressive .344. Despite not having enough plate appearances to qualify, he is tied for fifth in the home run category with 16 home runs in just two months. Thanks to his combination of power and contact ability, his various hitting metrics, including batting average, home runs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage, are all equally high.
The order of the home run derby on that day proceeded in reverse order based on fan votes. Consequently, Ahn Hyun-min closed the event. Earlier, Lee Ju-hyung (Kiwoom Heroes) hit six, Park Dong-won (LG Twins) hit nine, Kim Hyung-jun (NC Dinos) hit four, Song Seong-moon (Kiwoom Heroes) hit seven, Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha Eagles) hit six, and Diaz recorded 11 home runs. Choi Jeong withdrew from the event due to a hamstring injury on the day of the event.
Choosing his teammate Bae Jeong-dae as the batting practice pitcher, Ahn Hyun-min had high expectations as Bae Jeong-dae had previously teamed up with Park Dong-won to lead with nine home runs. However, during the allotted two minutes, Ahn Hyun-min managed to hit only two home runs. There were relatively few high-flying balls, and most of the hits had low line drive trajectories. Later, he added two more home runs in a two-out scenario, finishing with a total of four and regretfully ending his debut home run derby in last place.
Meanwhile, the home run derby champion was the season home run leader Diaz. He reached the finals, hitting eight home runs, and beat Park Dong-won, who hit seven, by one home run to become the owner of the trophy, a prize of 5 million won, and a Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Diaz, who hit a 135.7-meter home run in the preliminaries, also received an award for the longest distance and was presented with the LG Standby Me 2.
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