41 home runs yet in 3rd place...'RBI king' Austin's ranking, gap with Kim Do-young's 43, Hilliard's 42
LG Twins Austin Dean is in 3rd place in KBO home runs with 41. He trails 1st place Kim Do-young by 2. We've organized his 2024 RBI king record, seasonal performance, and 1.7 million dollar contract composition by the numbers.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- Austin is in 3rd place in KBO home runs with 41 in the 2026 season. He is 2 behind 1st place Kim Do-young (43).
- In the 2024 season, he recorded 132 RBIs to become the first LG player to win the KBO RBI title.
- The 2026 season contract total is 1.7 million dollars. It includes a salary of 1.1 million dollars and incentives of 300,000 dollars.
On October 7, 2026, in the 8th inning of the Samsung match, KT Wiz Hilliard (32) hit a bases-loaded home run. It was his 42nd of the season. Only after the previous day's game ended was he tied with LG Twins Austin Dean at 41 for 2nd place.Yonhapnewsreported, and with this one swing the tie was broken. Austin dropped to 3rd place in just one day.
Austin's home run ranking 3rd, 2 behind leader Kim Do-young
2026 KBO top 5 home run leaders (as of October 8, 2026, based on KBO official record review)
| Rank | Player | Team | Home runs | Difference from 1st |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Do-young | KIA | 43 | — |
| 2 | Hilliard | KT | 42 | 1 |
| 3 | Austin | LG | 41 | 2 |
| 4 | Kang Baek-ho | Hanwha | 34 | 9 |
| 5 | Na Sung-bum | KIA | 30 | 13 |
This table is based on the KBO official record viewed on October 8. The record does not indicate a closing time, and rankings may change based on game results and official record corrections. Based on News1 reporting (as of October 7, 2026 at 2 a.m.), Austin was tied for 2nd place. The ranking is3rd placebut the gap between 3rd and 4th is more striking. He is 7 home runs behind Kang Baek-ho, which is 3.5 times the gap between 1st and 3rd (2).
Leader Kim Do-young (23) is the 2024 season regular season MVP. In 2025, he was limited to 30 games due to a hamstring injury. According to OSEN reporting, his 2026 season salary is 250 million won, a 50% decrease from a year ago. Hilliard's debut season in KBO. His contract total is 1 million dollars. With 4 season bases-loaded home runs, he tied the KBO record set by Park Jae-hong, Kim Sang-hyun, and Kang Min-ho.
Austin's performance by season, from 23 home runs to 41 home runs
Austin was born on October 14, 1993, an American. As of October 8, 2026, he is 32 years old. Some articles show him as 33, but applying KBO's official birth date, he is 32. He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 4th round of the 2012 MLB draft and debuted in 2018. He subsequently played for St. Louis and San Francisco. His career MLB record is a batting average of .228 with 11 home runs. He joined LG in 2023 as a right-handed batter and first baseman/outfielder.
Austin's KBO season-by-season record
| Season | Games | Batting average | Home runs | RBIs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 139 | — | 23 | 95 | Calculated from 3-year cumulative |
| 2024 | 140 | .319 | 32 | 132 | RBI king |
| 2025 | 116 | .313 | 31 | 95 | — |
| 2026 | In progress | Unconfirmed | 41 | Unconfirmed | Home runs as of 10.07 |
The 2023 season figures areNews1reported 3-year cumulative record (395 games, 86 home runs, 322 RBIs) minus 2024 and 2025 season records. 2024132 RBIsis the first RBI king record by an LG player, according toSports Seoulreported. 2026 season41 home runs is the most by an individual in a single KBO season. 10 more than the 31 in 2025 (32%), and 18 more than the 23 in 2023 (78%).
Austin's RBI and cumulative records, foreign player 100th career home run
Austin exceeded 100 career home runs in KBO in the 2026 season. He is the 9th foreign player to do so historically.
The 2026 season batting average, OPS (on-base plus slugging), and RBI rankings were not included in this article.
Austin's salary 1.1 million dollars, total contract of 1.7 million dollars composition
| Item (dollars) | Austin (LG) | Hilliard (KT) |
|---|---|---|
| Signing bonus | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| Salary | 1.1 million | 700,000 |
| Incentives | 300,000 | — |
| Total | 1.7 million | 1 million |
According to LG's official announcement, Austin's 2026 season contract was announced on December 3, 2025. The total is 1.7 million dollars (approximately 2.49 billion won). It is divided into 300,000 dollars signing bonus, 1.1 million dollars salary, and 300,000 dollars incentives. Incentives are not guaranteed money. The guaranteed portion is the signing bonus and salary combined1.4 million dollars.
Compared to Hilliard, the difference becomes clearer. Hilliard's contract is 1 million dollars, 400,000 dollars less than Austin's guaranteed portion. Dividing the guaranteed portion by home runs, Austin averages about 34,000 dollars per home run, and Hilliard about 24,000 dollars. Kim Do-young's salary of 250 million won is a won-denominated contract, so it was excluded from this comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is Austin's home run ranking?
As of October 8, 2026, based on KBO official record review, he has 41 home runs in 3rd place. 1st place is Kim Do-young (43), and 2nd place is Hilliard (42). He was tied with Hilliard for 2nd place when the October 6 game ended.
Q. How old is Austin?
Born October 14, 1993, he is 32 years old as of October 8, 2026. Some articles list him as 33, but applying KBO's official birth date, he is 32 years old.
Q. What is Austin's salary?
The 2026 season salary is 1.1 million dollars. The contract total including 300,000 dollars signing bonus and 300,000 dollars incentives is 1.7 million dollars (approximately 2.49 billion won). Incentives are not a guaranteed amount.
Related official sites
- KBO official homepage— Game schedules, results, and league announcements
- KBO official batter records — home run rankings— Home run ranking record table
- KBO Austin player profile and career records— Season-by-season detailed batting records
Representative image · Archive photo · Not an on-field photo from the current game in the article · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA), CC BY-SA 2.0
Related materials to view together
·Austin blocked by Avila, 40 home runs thwarted...KBO home run rankings Kim Do-young leads with 41
·Sanders 40, broken in 27 years...Kim Do-young's 41st home run, KIA loses in extra-inning comeback
·September 8 32 to 41...KT Hilliard home runs tied for 1st, caught up with Kim Do-young
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