"There was no reason not to vote" The best left-hander in the draft is Jung Hyun-woo, and what's next? The only high school student in the U23 national team, 148km left-hander special, the reason for the selection?

Jul 22, 2024

The match between Ansan Industrial High School and Gwangju Jeil High School in the round of 16 at the 79th Blue Dragon Open National High School Championship was held at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 11th. Kim Tae-hyun of Gwangju Il High School is pitching hard. Mokdong = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com/2024.07.11/

The national team that will participate in the 5th U-23 World Baseball Championship in Hangzhou, China, from September 6 to 15 was finally confirmed on the 18th.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association selected a total of 24 players, including 11 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders, and four outfielders, led by coach Choi Tae-won (Kyungil University), fielders coach Seo Han-gyu (Digital Seoul Arts University manager), and battery coach Ji Jae-ok (standing coach)" he said.

Various types of pitchers such as left, right and underhand were selected, including Kim Do-bin of the Hanwha Eagles, Hong Won-pyo of the Samsung Lions, Son Joo-hwan and Lim Hyung-won of the NC Dinos, Choi Hyun-suk and Park Ki-ho of the SSG Landers, Song Jae-young of the Lotte Giants, and Joo Seung-bin of the Kiwoom Heroes.

There is one high school student among 11 pitchers composed mainly of KBO professional team prospects and college players.

The 79th Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship Gwangju Jeil High School and Deoksu High School were held at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 13th. Deoksu High School's Jung Hyun-woo is struggling. Mokdong = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com/2024.07.13/

This is Kim Tae-hyun (19), a third-year left-hander at Gwangju Jeil High School. the only high school student. Why on earth was he chosen.

Choi Tae-won, head coach of the national team, said, "There were not enough left-handed pitchers when selecting national team pitchers. At that time, there was a scout's recommendation that Kim Tae-hyun's ball power was getting better and rising. If so, I thought there was no reason not to vote. He said, "If it's such a friend, I'll pick him no matter what."

This means that they were selected based on their current skills regardless of high school college programs.

Kim Tae-hyun, along with Chung Hyeon-woo (Deoksu High School), Park Jung-hoon (Bibong High School), Bae Chan-seung (Daegu High School), and Kwon Min-gyu (Se Yeong-hwa), are promising players who are competing for the best left-hander in high school.

Around the same time, the competition overlapped with the 13th Asian Youth Baseball Championship (under 18), which is scheduled to be held in Taiwan from September 2 to September 8. Kim Tae-hyun was born in 2005, one year older than his peers (born in 2006), and unfortunately was not eligible to start the competition.

Among the high school left-handed pitchers, Deoksu left-handers Chung Hyun-woo and Bae Chan-seung, who are competing for the first and second rounds of the draft, were selected as youth representatives.

Kim Tae-hyun did not join the under-18 national team, but he got a chance to show his skills in the under-23 national team.

The 79th Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship and the weekend league king match against Gwangju Ilgo at Shinwol Stadium on the 10th. Kim Tae-hyun of Gwangju Il High School is pitching. Shinwol = Reporter Song Jeong-heon @sportschosun.com/2024.07.10/

Kim Tae-hyun is a rising star who received great attention at the 79th Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship, which ended on the 16th. In four games of this tournament, he led his team to the semifinals with five hits, four outs, and two runs with 28 strikeouts (average ERA of 0.95) against 63 batters in 18 ⅔ innings. On-base allowance per inning (WHIP) 0.42.

The contest saw a sharp rise in ratings.

Scouts from professional teams all agree and praise him as a starting pitcher who can be nominated in the first round. It boasts a stamina that does not drop in speed and rotation even if you throw nearly 100 pitches.

A professional scout said, `Kim Tae-hyun and Kim Seo-hyun are the two players who received the most attention through Cheongryonggi.' As for Kim Tae-hyun's strengths, he said "I like the pitching mechanism. The tower is high and the maximum speed is 148 kilometers. He has a good physique (1m85, 87kg) and a good tip of his cheek, so he has strength in the ball. Compared to Chung Hyeon-woo, he has a good ball power that is second to none. "He said his ball control was high until the golden lion period, but it was stabilized through the blue dragon flag. A player who will be in the spotlight in the rookie draft."

Expectations are also high for the under-23 national team. Although he is a high school student, Choi Tae-won, the coach of the national team, is determined to appoint him if he can.

Coach Choi said, `As the pitcher is currently on the rise, we will check it and consult with coaches to determine how to use it.'

Choi Tae-won, who will participate in the 5th U-23 World Baseball Championship, is scheduled to leave for Hangzhou on Sept. 4 after holding reinforcement training at Gonjiam Team Up Campus Baseball Stadium in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province from Aug. 26 to Sept. 3. Korea will compete in a group with Taiwan, the Netherlands, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and South Africa at the event, which will feature 12 countries from around the world.