Hanwha dreams of a pitching kingdom, Hwang Jun-seo takes the field “I don’t care about the position, I want the team to win”
For the third year in a row, the Hanwha Eagles have the No. 1 pick in the draft and will be able to build a pitching kingdom. Hanwha expressed their satisfaction with the selection.
Hanwha selected Jang Chung-go pitcher Hwang Jun-seo with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 KBO First-Year Player Draft on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul.
Hwang Jun-seo was the biggest name in the draft. The original top pick, Masan Yongmago pitcher Jang Hyun-seok, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers to challenge for the major leagues. All eyes naturally turned to Hwang Jun-seo.
Hwang is a reliable pitcher with a variety of pitches, including a curveball, slider, and splitter. In high school baseball this season, he went 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA in 15 games. He even touched 150 mph.
This is the third year in a row that Hanwha has drafted an extremely talented group of pitchers. They added right-hander Moon Dong-joo, hard-throwing Kim Seo-hyun, and exceptional left-hander Hwang Jun-seo.
“Hwang Jun-seo lost 8 kilograms during the season, which reduced his velocity, but I think he can be a good pitcher if he builds up his body again. It would be good to reinforce his physical strength in the winter and gain weight again. He has to compete for the starting job. I’m happy to have a good pitcher for the third year in a row.”
Hwang Jun-seo said, “I’m happy to join Hanwha. I know a lot of older brothers, and I’ve heard that it’s a very clean club, so it’s very good.” He smiled.
As he said, there are many players he knows at Hanwha. The player he’s most familiar with is infielder Lee Min-joon. He had a brief stint with the first team this year. He is also close with Moon Hyun-bin. “Before the draft, Min-joon told me that his brother should come to Hanwha,” Hwang explained.
Hanwha’s rebuild has lowered the average age of its roster. They have a lot of younger players. This will be a big help for Hwang Jun-seo.메이저사이트
“First of all, I want to ask them what it’s like to be a professional, how to behave, what to watch out for, and so on,” Hwang Jun-seo said.
He doesn’t care whether he starts or is in the bullpen, but he wants to wear the number 15, which means a lot to Hanwha. It was the number worn by the ‘Greatest Failure’ Koo Dae-sung during his playing days. He said, “I’ve been good at baseball since I wore number 15. I will do my best regardless of my position.”
Hwang Jun-seo said, “I don’t care about personal goals, I care about winning the team first. I will work hard to help the team reach the highest level possible. I will become a pitcher who can be found in a crisis situation.”
