The day of the professional baseball rookie draft has dawned.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will hold the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul from 2 p.m. on the 14th.
The rookie draft has been held in a full draft format since last year. It will be held in total of 11 rounds. The nominations will be made in the reverse order of last season’s final rankings: Hanwha Eagles – Doosan Bears – Lotte Giants – Samsung Lions – NC Dinos – KIA Tigers – KT Wiz – LG Twins – Kiwoom Heroes – SSG Landers. Hanwha will exercise the first overall pick in the draft for the second consecutive year following last year.
However, Kiwoom, who received a draft pick from another team through a trade,토토사이트 received a first round draft pick through a trade with LG. Therefore, two players can be selected in the first round. In addition, the 2nd and 3rd round selection rights received from KIA and Samsung will also be exercised. NC also has a 7th round pick from Hanwha.
There are a total of 1,083 people eligible for this year’s rookie draft, including 782 high school graduates, 296 college graduates (including 41 early draftees), and 5 other players, including overseas amateurs and pros. Through the ‘Early Draft System’ that has been implemented since last year, second-year players at four-year universities (including three-year universities) can also participate in the draft.
This draft has a clear strength in pitching. There is also a prediction that all 10 players in the first round will be filled with pitchers.
The most likely candidate for the first overall pick is Jangchung High School left-hander Hwang Jun-seo. Hwang Jun-seo, who has a good physique of 187cm and 80kg, uses a splitter, slider, and curveball with a fast ball approaching 150km. His physique and pitching style are evaluated as reminiscent of Kim Gwang-hyun’s high school days.
Incheon High School right-hander Kim Taek-yeon is expected to wear the Doosan uniform as second choice without any major changes. Kim Taek-yeon, who is evaluated as the ‘second Ko Woo-seok’, is receiving favorable reviews for his heavy fastball of up to 153 km and stable ball control.
Kim Taek-yeon’s stock price rose further through the recent U-18 Baseball World Cup. He is also being discussed as a possibility to be selected first overall. However, given the Hanwha team’s lack of left-handed pitchers, it is unlikely to be easy to give up on Hwang Jun-seo.
In addition, names such as Jeon Mir (Gyeongbuk High School), Yuk Seon-yeop (Jangchung High School), Kim Hwi-geon (Whimoon High School), and Jeon Jun-pyo (Seoul High School) are being mentioned as top pick candidates for the first round. Won Sang-hyeon (Busan High School) and Cho Dae-hyun (Gangneung High School) are also expected to be selected in the first round.
Among the fielders, infielder Yeo Dong-gun (Seoul High School), who is highly anticipated as a ‘5-tool player’, and Park Ji-hwan (Segwang High School), who is considered the best high school shortstop, are attracting attention. As a college graduate, left-handed pitcher Jeong Hyun-soo (Songwon University), who was recognized for his skills on the baseball entertainment program ‘Best Baseball,’ is expected to be selected as a bottom pick in the first round.