"Whether it's finishing the fastball or the representative of 韓대표," Kim Ji-woo, a high school student in Seoul, said, "Whether it's KBO or ML, I want to go to the team that wants me the most." [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Ji-woo (18) of Seoul High School, a combination of pitching and batting, predicted a heated competition with Um Jun-sang (18, Deoksu High School) and Ha Hyun-seung (18, Busan High School), who are called the same big three prospects.

Kim Ji-woo is one of the top prospects to compete with Ha Hyun-seung (18) of Busan High School and Um Jun-sang (18) of Deoksu High School in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, which will be held in the second half of this year. Based on the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), he is a player whose strength is explosive power from his sluggish physique of 183 centimeters and 87 kilograms. Based on his strong shoulders, he is known as a right-hander on the mound and a slugger-type right-handed prospect who crosses when hit at bat.

Last year's performance was not as good as expected. Kim Ji-woo, who mainly played as a third baseman, hit 0.259 (22 hits in 85 at-bats) in 25 games, had five homers, 25 RBIs, five steals, 19 walks, 18 strikeouts, and an on-base percentage of 0.387 on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.471 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.858.

Kim Ji-woo, who met Star News at Seoul High School's baseball team on the 15th, said, "I thought it was just bad during the season, but when I thought about it afterwards, I think I put too much weight on weight training in the winter when I went from first to second grade." He continued, "I didn't hit the bat relatively much either. So this winter, I'm focusing a little more on batting training," he said with emphasis.

In defense, he showed a rather clunky appearance and was evaluated as needing a little more time. The player himself was aware of the regret. Kim Ji-woo said, "I have to catch it more accurately to save my strong shoulders. That's why we're focusing on catching it stably this winter," he said. "I'm really focused and hitting one by one because my batting average was low in hitting. "The pitcher is not injured and is focusing on reinforcement exercises, taking the amount of training similar to last year," he added.

Rather, he showed good performance on the mound. Last year, Kim Ji-woo recorded an ERA of 0.00 with two wins and no losses in seven games, five walks and 19 strikeouts in 13 ⅓ innings, and WHIP (on-base allowance per inning) of 0.69. It is attractive to have a heavy fastball ball with a maximum speed of 153km/h (unofficial 154km) based on Trackman and more than 2400 revolutions per minute (RPM). When thrown into the bullpen, it steadily reached more than 150 kilometers per hour, which highly evaluated its potential as a closer.

KBO club scout A said, "As a pitcher, I see Kim Ji-woo as a more attractive player. He believes that his fastball pitching is so good that he can use it immediately with power. It's a short inning, but I thought it was a ball that could put pressure on batters. The speed that hitters feel will be more than being stamped on the speed gun," he praised.

The mound at Seoul High School is unknown again this year. As such, a little more pitchers are expected to appear than other big three players. In particular, he is expected to play a role as a closer in charge of one or two innings in a crisis situation. As such, training hours were allocated to fielders 7 and pitchers 3. Kim Ji-woo said, "Last year, I didn't train much as a pitcher, so I pitched mainly on fastballs and sliders. This year, there may be a situation where we have to throw more than last year, so we are preparing two sliders: fast ones and slobs. I'm also learning to change up," he said.

Scouts' expectations remain unabated despite the lowest second-grade performance among the big three. In particular, it received a lot of attention from Major League scouts. Opinions are still divided on where Kim Ji-woo will shine, between pitchers and fielders in the professional league. Last year, Major League Scout B said, "The size is a little small, so it's not easy to be a pitcher when you go to the United States. Personally, I want to see the beast Kim Jiwoo. Power and strong shoulders are the biggest strengths. He is a player who reminds me of Kang Baek-ho in high school. At that time, Kang Baek-ho also praised him for his long shot by throwing a fastball of 95 miles per hour (about 153 kilometers)."

KBO scouts are also receiving favorable reviews. The comparison targets are big guns Noh Si-hwan (28) and Kang Baek-ho (27, Hanwha Eagles), who represent Korea. KBO Scout A said, "He is a player with very high potential. The power tool is so good and the strength of the ball is so attractive. He also hits the fastest ball among the three (Ha Hyun-seung, Kim Ji-woo, and Um Jun-sang) because of his fast bat speed. In addition, he has the ability to send the fast ball far away. It will take some time, but I can grow like Noh Si-hwan," he noted.

Despite high expectations, Seoul High School claims are extremely calm. Kim Ji-woo said, "It's not burdensome to compare with Um Jun-sang and Ha Hyun-seung. When I'm around, I know they're even more amazing, so I feel better because they're called together. There are some things that the two of them are better than me, and I'm trying to learn what I'm lacking," he said with a smile.

"What do you think you're more confident about than the other two friends?"When asked, he talked about power and impact. Kim Ji-woo said, "(Um) Jun-sang's defense is softer and more sophisticated than expected compared to his large physique. Also, I envy you a lot because your BQ (Baseball Intelligence) is really high. (Ha)Hyun-Seung is born with a physique. I thought it would be really scary if I grew up more than now. I envy his physicality," he replied.

At the same time, he said, "I'm most confident in power. I also think the ability to make an impact is the best (compared to the two). "I can impress people who see a certain impact, whether they are pitchers or fielders," he stressed. Unlike last year's two friends, Um Joon-sang and Ha Hyun-seung, who were selected for the youth national team as second graders and the high school-college All-Star Game held in June, Kim Ji-woo did nothing.

But the real game starts from now on. Kim Ji-woo said, "Of course, the goal is to win Seoul High School. My personal goals are the All-Star and the youth national team. I couldn't do both last year, but I really want to do it this year," he said. "In the national team last year, (Um) Jun-sang and (Ha) Hyun-seung said that the first person to receive the KBO would buy the outback," he said, smiling and adding, "I want to be nominated for the team that wants me the most regardless of my turn. Of course, it could be Major League Baseball," he added.

At the same time, he said, "I want to go to a club that raises me most actively. I want to receive many opportunities and become a baseball player representing Korea within five years," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.