SEOUL– A dominant high school pitcher with a blazing fastball went first overall at the annual draft for the South Korean professional baseball league Thursday.
Kim Seo-hyeon of Seoul High School was chosen with the first pick by the Hanwha Eagles at the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft held in Seoul. The 18-year-old is representing South Korea at the ongoing World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in the United States and did not attend the draft.
The Eagles had the first overall pick after ranking last in the league last season. The draft order was determined by the reverse order of finish from 2021.
Kim has gone 3-3 with a 1.31 ERA over 55 1/3 innings so far this year, recording 72 strikeouts against 14 walks. He has touched 156 kilometers per hour (96.9 miles per hour) with his fastball, and the right-hander also mixes in a two-seam fastball, a curveball, a splitter, a slider and a changeup.
“He is just a great baseball player,” Eagles general manager Jeong Min-chul said. “We felt that he will be able to make a smooth transition to pro ball.”
Yoon Young-cheol, a left-hander from Chungam High School, went No. 2 to the Kia Tigers. He has gone 13-2 with a 1.66 ERA over 65 1/3 innings. He had 99 punchouts against only five walks.
Yoon, also with the U-18 national team in the U.S., won’t blow away hitters with fastballs, but can throw changeups and sliders to great effect.
“There was consensus within our team that he was going to be our first round selection,” Tigers general manager Jang Jung-suk said. “Given his performance, he absolutely deserves to be a high pick in the draft.”
The Lotte Giants made a surprise choice, picking Whimoon High School infielder Kim Min-seok with their third overall pick. Kim, who throws right and bats left, had been viewed as late first round material at best.
Kim batted .565 in 18 games with 18 steals. He drew 17 walks and struck out just seven times in 84 plate appearances.
Two more pitches were drafted with the next two picks, as the NC Dinos chose Kyungnam High School pitcher Shin Young-woo and the SSG Landers picked Daegu High School pitcher Lee Rowoon.
With the sixth pick, the Kiwoom Heroes selected a two-way player from Wonju High School, Kim Geon-hee.
He split his time as pitcher and catcher. On the mound, Kim went 0-3 but had a strong 1.29 ERA in 13 2/3 innings. At the plate, Kim batted .378 with a home run and nine RBIs in 16 games.
Kim Beom-seok of Kyungnam High School was the first full-time catcher to be selected, as the LG Twins made him the seventh overall pick.
Kim batted .342 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 24 games. Though his defense remains a work in progress, Kim, a former infielder, brings athleticism and agility behind the plate, and was considered the best hitting catcher in an unusually rich class of backstops.
“He has tremendous power and is also a great contact hitter who can handle breaking balls,” the Twins said in a statement. “He is a quick thinker behind the plate, someone who can put pitchers at ease.”
Three more pitchers were chosen with the final three picks in the first round: Incheon High Schoool pitcher Lee Ho-seong went to the Samsung Lions with the seventh pick, followed by Bugil High School pitcher Choi Joon-ho going to the Doosan Bears and Daegu High School hurler Kim Jeong-woon joining the KT Wiz.
The KBO said 1,165 amateurs entered this year’s draft. There were 11 rounds, with one selection in each round for all 10 clubs.
By position, 56 pitchers, 29 infielders, 13 catchers and 12 outfielders were chosen. Of the 110 players picked, 92 will be coming out of high school, while 18 were either university graduates or players who completed two years of university. This is the first draft in which those university sophomores were eligible.
A pair of big-time prospects pulled out of his year’s draft to pursue major league dreams. Gyeonggi Commercial High School catcher Um Hyung-chan signed with the Kansas City Royals in July. Duksoo High School right-hander Shim Jun-seok, considered a strong candidate to go No. 1 at the draft, announced in August that he would skip the KBO draft because he wanted to land a deal with a major league club.
Source: Yonhap News Agency