Will Hwang Jun-seo (Jang Chung-go), one of the biggest names in the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft, be drafted by the Hanwha Eagles as expected?
The 2024 KBO Rookie Draft will be held on April 14 at 2 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul. The draft will be held from rounds 1 through 11 and will be conducted in the reverse order of the 2023 season standings: Hanwha-Dusan Bears-Lotte Giants-Samsung Lions-NC Dinos-KIA Tigers-KT Wiz-LG Twins-Kium Heroes-SSG Landers.메이저사이트
Kiwoom, who received the first, second, and third round picks from LG, KIA, and Samsung, respectively, in an earlier trade, can call on a total of six players in that round (up to a maximum of 14 in this rookie draft), while NC, who received the seventh round pick in a sign-and-trade with Hanwha before the start, can also call on one more player in that round.
Hwang Jun-seo is arguably the biggest name in the draft. Standing at an imposing 187 centimeters and 80 kilograms, he is a left-handed pitcher with a smooth delivery and a deceptive changeup. He has a fastball that tops out in the low 150s and a decent changeup.
Hanwha, which is in desperate need of left-handed pitching, has also been monitoring Hwang for a while. Hanwha, which has used the No. 1 overall pick in each of the last two years, selected right-hander Moon Dong-ju two years ago and right-hander Kim Seo-hyun last year. When considering their future starting pitching staff, Hwang Jun-seo would be ideal on balance. This is why Hanwha’s pick is expected to be a strong one, despite Hwang’s somewhat lackluster performance against the United States at the recent World Youth Baseball Championship, where he gave up four runs in 4.2 innings.
However, there is a catch. It’s Kim Taek-yeon (Incheon High). The 6-foot-3, 182-pound right-hander has a solid fastball that sits in the low 150s with a solid breaking ball. His changeup is said to be second to none.
In 13 official high school games this season, he went 7-1 with a 1.13 ERA, 97 strikeouts and a 0.66 walks per inning allowed (WHIP), showing that he is a complete pitcher, especially at the World Youth Baseball Championship. In six games (16 innings), he fanned a total of 247 batters and compiled an unrealistic 2-1 record with 29 strikeouts and a 0.88 ERA. While there was a dark side to his performance, he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Reliever.
Initially, Han Jun-seo (Hanwha + Hwang Jun-seo) was expected to be the favorite, but the possibility of Han Taek-yeon (Hanwha + Kim Taek-yeon) cannot be ruled out due to Kim’s performance at the World Youth Baseball Championship. When asked about this before the game against Doosan in Jamsil on April 12, Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho said, “It’s the club’s job to nominate rookies. They showed me the nominees and gave me a briefing on what to expect. (When asked if he was left-handed or right-handed), he joked that he would choose ‘both hands’.
The potential and ability of both pitchers are among the best in the game. Many baseball fans are eager to see which of them will be honored with the No. 1 overall honor and wear the Hanwha jersey.