Mel Rojas Jr. might just win them all

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Mel Rojas Jr. might just win them all

Published: 11 Aug. 2020, 17:02 Updated: 11 Aug. 2020, 18:30

The postponement of the 2020 season doesn't seem to have affected KT Wiz outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. If anything, it seems to have helped him.

Having won the KBO’s Golden Glove award last season, Rojas is having an even better season this year. Although the Wiz aren't exactly dominating the table, Rojas is.

The Wiz are ranked sixth in the regular season standings as of Tuesday 6 p.m., and Rojas is ranked at the very top of nearly all of the individual awards rankings.

So far this season, Rojas has played in all 75 games for the Wiz and has a batting average of 0.392, good enough to top the league. Along with that, he is well ahead in home runs, at 28, seven more than runner-up Roberto Ramos of the LG Twins, and in RBIs, at 72.

Rojas’ home runs streak has heated up in August. Although the Wiz have only played in five games so far, Rojas has already hit three home runs as of Tuesday 6 p.m.

But that's not all. Rojas also leads the league in on base percentage, at 0.453, as well as slugging percentage at 0.770.

Mel Rojas Jr.

In fact, Rojas currently tops the individual rankings in six of the eight awards categories with a little less than half of the season left to play.

Rojas joined the KBO in 2017 and has proved a dominant presence his first year.

In terms of home runs, he reached his career high in 2018 when he finished with 48. In terms of batting average, Rojas has topped 0.300 every season. His number has gradually increased this year, with his current 0.392 his highest yet.

Thanks to Rojas's performance, the Wiz are slowly making their way up on the leaderboard, once again fighting for fifth, the last postseason spot.

The Wiz also has the third highest number of rain cancellations along with the Kia Tigers. This could give the team a chance for a late push at the end of the season, but also could leave a tired team still slugging away in late September.

Currently, the Lotte Giants have the most rain cancellations, at 11.

BY KANG YOO-RIM [kang.yoorim@joongang.co.kr]