Only Jung Hyun Woo-jung and Woo-joo are nominees for the Rookie of the Year? Grades don't come in the order of designationBAE CHAN, Gwon, MINGYU, super awesome scent

Feb 16, 2025

photo courtesy of the Samsung Lions, Hanwha Eagles

The order doesn't matter...In the professional world, it's only more important who goes first.

When the professional baseball rookie draft is held, all sports lights go to the player who won the first overall honor. It means that you are the best amateur player at that point, and if you have the potential that everyone thinks so, of course, your chances of success will increase. Even if it is not the first priority, the player who competed for the position until the end is also in the spotlight. Chung Hyun-woo (Kium) and Jung Woo-joo (Hanwha), who ranked first and second in this year's rookie draft, did so. Jung Hyun-woo was told that it was okay to play professionally right away, and Jung Woo-joo received a big offer in the Major League with his 155km fastball.

But the names of the two don't seem so often after spring camp began. Chung Hyun-woo failed to join Kiwoom's first spring camp in Arizona, the United States. Jung Woo-joo went to Melbourne, Australia, but he seems to be a little bit buried in the buzz of other players.

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In the meantime, other competitors are coming up. First, left-hander Bae Chan-seung of the Samsung Lions. Bae Chan-seung is a graduate of Daegu High School and is the third overall winner of the draft. Looking at the rankings, it is true that he has as much potential as Chung Hyun-woo and Jung Woo-joo.

But the story is a little different. In high school, he was recognized for spraying fastballs with left-handers, but there were some ups and downs. In addition, it is 1m80, so it cannot be said that the size is large. Usually, when clubs select prospective players in the first round, they consider the possibility of physical and skill development evenly along with their ability. Therefore, there was a possibility of being selected in the first round until the draft, but not many people expected to be selected in this top order.

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In the meantime, I wrote a twist drama. At the 13th Asian Youth Baseball Championship held just before the draft, he became the talk of the town by throwing the most powerful ball among his draft colleagues. It was no exaggeration to say that his status soared due to his performance in the tournament.

And Samsung's choice is moving toward the right atmosphere. In the first Cheongbaek match in Okinawa, Japan, he stably sprayed a 150-kilometer fastball. It's not about the ball speed, but the way he throws his own ball without being intimidated, which is receiving favorable reviews.

In Australia, Kwon Min-gyu hit 'Awesome ' He started the second practice game against the Australian national team on the 15th and pitched five strikeouts and perfect pitching in two ⅔ innings. As mentioned above, the reason why Jung Woo-joo was quiet was because of Kwon Min-gyu. He captured the hearts of manager Kim Kyung-moon and pitching coach Yang Sang-moon with his ball control. The foam itself was so pretty and stable, I didn't think the ball control would shake.

photo courtesy of Hanwha Eagles

However, there was also a cautious response that the speed was in the early-mid 140km range, a young player, and that he had to see how to throw when there was a batter. But it was more than I expected. It also worked against the Australian sluggers, who were called strengths. There was no sign of being intimidated. The fastest speed of 145 kilometers went up if the ball speed is adjusted further in the professional league, but there is no chance that it will go down.

Kwon Min-gyu also made his name as an ace pitcher on the high school stage, but his nomination was pushed to the second round due to the evaluation that his speed was not fast. But in baseball, restraint is not everything. Yoon Young-chul, a similar type of player, was on a roll early on.

Will the two be able to ignite the competition for the Rookie of the Year after the opening of the season. First of all, it's a good start.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.