Hwang Joon-seo, the starter of the left-hander immediately, and the professional competition of the next-generation right-hander Kim Taek-yeon The new “Golden Generation” has just risen

Left-hander Hwang Joon-seo, the starter of the immediate forerunner, and Kim Taek-yeon, the right-hander with full potential.

The two pitchers, who were considered the biggest fish in high school this year, ranked first and second overall in the 2024 KBO draft. Since they are two people of different styles, more attention is being paid to the competition that will take place on the KBO stage in the future.

Hanwha General Manager Son Hyuk nominated Jangchung High School Hwang Joon-seo as the first overall player, saying, “He has received the most recommendations from scouts throughout the year.” As Masan Yongma High School’s Jang Hyun-seok signed a contract with the LA Dodgers, Hwang Joon-seo became a firm No. 1 candidate. He throws a fast ball of 150 kilometers per hour with his left hand and uses a splitter. There are not many cases of the combination of left-handed splitters even on the professional stage. An official from Hanwha Scout said, “It has a stable control, a solid splitter, and is a body type that can grow physically. He said, “There is a high possibility of growth,” and explained, “There is a lot of room for an average increase in speed, and I decided that he would be a more equipped pitcher as a starting pitcher.” It is said that he prepared not to leave any regrets until the end and chose the most valuable player as it was a chance to be nominated as the first overall, which may be difficult to come back for the time being.

Hwang Joon-seo said, “I’m honored to be the first to be selected among the good players.” The meaning of the overall No. 1 ranking is bound to be special. Expectations are also high for a showdown with second-ranked Kim Taek-yeon (Incheon High School), who has a rival structure even before his professional debut.

Kim Taek-yeon, who was selected by Doosan right after Hwang Joon-seo, is currently evaluated as a bullpen pitcher. Kim Tae-ryong, head of Doosan, also named Kim Taek-yeon, saying, “I believe he will grow into a stopper (finish) of Doosan in two to three years at the earliest.”

However, there is an opinion that there is a good possibility as a starting pitcher through the recent Baseball World Cup held in Taiwan. Kim Taek-yeon won a shutout of 105 pitches with seven scoreless innings against the U.S. in the third and fourth place matches of the tournament on the 10th. Kim Taek-yeon said, “It was not difficult to start in Taiwan. Basically, I’m confident in everything,” he said. A Doosan Scout official said, “If Jang Hyun-suk was left, we would have thought more, but compared to Hwang Joon-seo, we were unconditionally Kim Taek-yeon,” adding, “The trackman’s figure is already at the top of the professional level.”

KBSN Sports commentator Park Yong-taek, who met at the draft site, said of Hwang Joon-seo, “I praised Yoon Young-chul (KIA) during last year’s draft, and Hwang Joon-seo also sees it like that. “As long as I’m not sick, I think I’ll start Hanwha’s starting rotation right away,” he said. In other words, it is one level higher than other pitching resources in overall completeness.

Kim Taek-yeon also has infinite potential. He predicted that there is a good possibility of selection. However, Park said, “In order for Kim Taek-yeon to deal with left-handed batters in the first division of the professional league, he will need to raise the average speed more or complete the falling ball such as forks and changeups.” Park said Kim Taek-yeon feels similar to LG Lee Jung-yong. Coincidentally, Lee Jung-yong also actively used forkball during the season, doubling the power of pitching.

Young aces in the league, represented by Ryu, Yoon, and Kim (Ryu Hyun-jin, Yoon Seok-min, and Kim Kwang-hyun), led the golden age of Korean baseball in the past. Pitcher resources in this year’s draft were also evaluated as the best in quality and quantity in recent years. They are the geniuses who will lead the revival of Korean baseball. The competition between Hwang Joon-seo and Kim Taek-yeon, who are just entering the professional stage, is starting from now on. 스포츠토토