“Yang Hyun-jong also started slowly” KIA, even 1R threw a bet on explosive power… ‘Training system’ becomes more important

The KIA Tigers made a winning move focusing on the potential and explosiveness of even first-round rookies, which determine the success or failure of the draft.

KIA exercised its first-round pick on right-hander Cho Dae-hyun (18),소닉카지노 a third-year student at Gangneung High School, in the 2024 KBO rookie draft held at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m. on the 14th.

In the next round, the third round, Gyeonggi High School catcher Lee Sang-jun (18), who was called one of the biggest fielders, was selected, and he attracted attention by nominating right-handed pitchers for the fifth consecutive time. All 10 people nominated were right-handed, and consisted of 7 pitchers, 2 infielders, and 1 catcher. With 4 college players and 6 high school players, we prepared for both the present and the future.

KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak (51), whom we met immediately after the draft, said, “First of all, there was a lack of starting resources for right-handed pitchers. The same was true for the Futures team, and 7 out of 10 were planning to nominate pitchers.” “I felt it again, and that’s why it wasn’t easy to come up with a strategy. Our scouts put a lot of thought into it and some of our expected players left. However, we selected pitchers that we were somewhat satisfied with, and we were satisfied with the unexpected selection of Lee Sang-jun,” he said.
In the first round, which was more important than ever, KIA’s selection was Gangneung High School’s Ohtani, who has ‘attractive fastball velocity’
The first round was more important than any other rookie draft. KIA started this year’s draft, which was supposed to be a good year for right-handed pitchers, without a second-round pick because they traded a second-round pick while acquiring Joo Hyo-sang (26) from Kiwoom last winter.

KIA’s choice was Cho Dae-hyun, who was called ‘Gangneung High School Otani’ for his dual pitching and batting skills. As a batter, he had a high school career batting average of 0.288 (21 hits in 73 at-bats) with no home runs or stolen bases, 12 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.369, a slugging percentage of 0.397, an OPS of 0.766, and as a pitcher, he recorded 8 wins and 1 loss in 28 games, an ERA of 2.28, and 36 walks and 96 strikeouts in 79 innings. In particular, in the 2nd Shinsegae E-Mart Cup National High School Baseball Tournament held last April, as a batter, he had a batting average of 0.481 (13 hits in 27 at-bats) and 9 RBIs in 7 games, and as a pitcher, he had 2 wins, undefeated and undefeated in 6 games, with an ERA of 0.00, and 9 walks and 6 walks in 20⅔ innings. 3Ball that fits the body) He led Gangneung High School to second place with 30 strikeouts.

It appears that he will need some time to settle into the first team. Cho Dae-hyun, who is 193cm tall and weighs 90kg, is attractive with his fastball, which has an average speed of 144km per hour and a maximum speed of 151km per hour. He has good stamina, enough to consistently maintain high grades while serving as a double hitter this year, and his physical growth is not over, so there is ample potential for his velocity to increase. However, since he does not have a good breaking ball to support a good fastball, some are skeptical that the bullpen is the most expected. He has a slider and a changeup, but the slider is not fast at around 120 km/h and the changeup rarely produces swings and misses.

We were deeply concerned because we were aware of some shortcomings, but in the end, we unanimously chose Cho Dae-hyun. This is because he believed that if he grows through systematic training, his explosive power will be comparable to that of any pitcher. General Manager Shim said, “Yang Hyeon-jong also joined in 2007 and started slowly with one win. Cho Dae-hyun is not a player who can be used as a starter in the first team right away, but there are high expectations that if he is developed through our training system like him, he can show great potential and advance to the first round. “I was selected,” he explained.
Top round selection focused on physical ability, success of draft depends on KIA developmen
Cho Dae-hyun is not the only one who chose Cho Dae-hyun because he believed in his maximum potential when it is revealed rather than his current skills. Lee Sang-jun, who was selected in the third round, is also expected to play an active role as a starting catcher with offense and defense in the future, as he will play in the 31st 2023 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup held this year. Inside the club, Lee Sang-jun, who is 181 cm tall and 105 kg, is judged to have strong shoulders and slugging power.

General Manager Shim said, “Honestly, I thought Lee Sang-jun would play in the front. So I asked for more time, thought about it, and selected Lee Sang-jun earlier than the pitcher I originally planned to select.” He added, “When I saw it in person, the second base pop time is almost behind that of professional players.” “There is an expectation that if we improve the defensive aspect, we will grow very quickly,” he explained.

In addition, Kim Tae-yoon (19, Kaesong High School), who was selected in the 4th round, is expected to perform well as a ‘right-handed fireballer’ who throws a fast ball close to 150 km per hour, and Kang Dong-hoon (23, Chung-Ang University), who was selected in the 5th round, has an excellent breaking ball sense. The evaluation is that the game management ability is good. In the 6th round, Choi Ji-woong (19, Cheongdam High School) is a pitcher with a fast velocity and high ball rotation, and is expected to be a bullpen player in the future, while in the 7th round, Kim Min-ju (21, Gangneung Youngdong University) is a sidearm pitcher with good fastball movement and a complete breaking ball. It is evaluated as an immediate sense of power as a bullpen. 8th round Minjae Kim (20, Dongwon University of Science and Technology) is said to have high growth potential based on his excellent physical condition and athletic ability.

9th round infielder Kang Min-je (18) played an active role as a central hitter who led Gunsan Sangil High School to the President’s Cup victory this year, and is a mid-to-long range hitter with flexibility and power. 10th round Seong Young-tak (19, Busan High School) is expected to be highly utilized in both the starting and middle positions in the future based on his ball control and various breaking balls, while 11th round Kim Doo-hyeon (20, Dongwon University) is capable of defending at all infield positions and has good throwing ability. He is a player equipped with

Kwon Yoon-min, head of the KIA Power Planning Team, who completed the nominations on this day, said, “We nominated the types who have excellent physical condition and throw fast balls and the types who have excellent game management skills,” and added, “For the fielders, we nominated players who showed strengths in attack and slugging power to contribute to Future Power.” “It will be of great help,” he explained.

Overall, the upper-round players focused on growth potential based on physical ability, while the lower-round players focused on immediate power that can be used next year as well. Since the success or failure of the draft usually depends on the first-team performance of the top round players, the selection and concentration of the training team, including KIA Futures coach Son Seung-rak (41), has become more important.

When General Manager Shim took office at KIA midway through the season, he showed great interest in establishing a training system. He said, “I want to focus on KIA’s farm system in May,” he said. “I want to watch Futures games often to see if it matches my thoughts and if there is anything I can utilize. The KBO League has limited trades and drafts, so it is difficult to develop players. “It’s important, but even if I can’t do it within my term, I want to create KIA’s own farm system so that the next general manager can recognize it and continue it,” he said. The baseball world is paying attention to how the blueprint of General Manager Shim, who completed his first draft as head, will change KIA in the future.