1R talent that ML also noted, there's another one in Deoksu! Kim Dae-seung, 190cm, "The final goal of 160km, I want to help many people like Kershaw." [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Deoksu High School right-hander Kim Dae-seung (18), who is classified as a candidate for the first round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, aimed for a 160km/h fastball.

Deoksu High School, led by head coach Jung Yoon-jin (55), is also considered a favorite to win the national championship this year. The second grade, led by Um Jun-sang (18) who is drawing attention from the U.S. Major League Baseball, showed rapid growth and held his seventh blue dragon in his arms. This year, the stronger mound is the strength. Kim Dae-seung, Park Hyun-min (18) and Kim Kyu-min (18) third-year right-hander Choi Hee-sung (17) with good pitching mechanism and right-hander Ryu Ho-yeon (18) with good growth will be able to focus only on shortstop on the balanced mound. This year, Um Joon-sang is expected to play one or two innings in a crisis in the second half of the game, taking the training ratio of fielders 9 and pitchers 1.

Among the third-year trio, Kim Dae-seung is also a prospect that Major League scouts are paying attention to. In a recent phone call with Star News, a Major League scout A said, "As of January 2026, I can't think of any other players other than Ha Hyun-seung, Um Jun-sang, and Kim Ji-woo who can go to the Major League. If I had to pick one, it would be Deoksu High School and Kim Dae-seung. "I think I'll watch it this year because the size is good and I have a good tendency as a pitcher," he said.

Looking at last year's performance alone, it is somewhat unexpected. Kim Dae-seung was on the mound for the first time in his second year last year. He played in 13 games and recorded an ERA of 3.79 with eight outs in 19 innings (six walks, two-bodied balls) with 14 strikeouts and WHIP (on-base allowance per inning) of 1.21. However, according to the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), his strong physique of 190cm and weight of 92kg and fast balls of up to 149km/h are attractive. The RPM of the fastball exceeds 2400.

A KBO scout B said, "Kim Dae-seung is a player with good hardware and high growth potential because he still throws balls in the mid-to-late 140km/h. "I should pay a little more attention to my control, but my arms and legs are very long and flexible compared to my height, so I expect faster restraint." He continued, "The slider is very good again. "Once you are a player with an RBI and you have another splitter or change-up here, you are expected to be nominated for the top round," he added.

Kim Dae-seung, who started playing baseball in the fourth grade of elementary school, liked to play rather than watch. That's still the case, so he is still interested in helping him do well, such as looking up videos of pitchers who use their lower bodies well, such as Loki Sasaki (25, LA Dodgers).

Perhaps that's why the role model as a baseball player is somewhat unique. I picked Kershaw, who recently announced his retirement, and it wasn't just because of his baseball skills. Kershaw is a legendary left-hander who has won 223 big league games as a player, won three Cy Young Awards, and MVP. At the same time, as a devout Christian, he is famous as a donor angel who does many good deeds.

Kim Dae-seung, who recently met Star News at Deoksu Baseball Team, said, "I respect Kershaw. As a churchgoer, I felt that I wanted to help people around me a lot who could help me from a young age. I heard that Kershaw is a really big donor. I want to be a good player like him and help African refugees and people in need," he said honestly.

He is currently focusing on training to grow into a player who gives good influence. He is still physically capable of growing, so he is keen on high-intensity weight training as well as basic defensive PFP (Pitchers Fielding Practice). Nevertheless, it's hard to gain weight.

Kim Dae-seung said, "I've grown since I was young, but I don't get fat and keep growing. The restraint came from mid-to-late 130km in the third year of middle school to 149km last year. "I throw four fastballs, curves, sliders, and splitters, and I'm most confident in my fastballs," he said with force.

The complementary point is, of course, ball control. Kim Dae-seung said, "From middle school to now, I've been a pitcher who only looked in the middle and threw. Now, I'm dividing the (strike zone) zone and throwing it, and I'm getting a lot of help from the pitching coach," he explained.

Kim Dae-seung is one of the few prospects who can throw 160km/h fastballs one day from scouts. The player himself is aiming for that.

Kim Dae-seung said, "The pitcher's biggest attraction is that I have to throw the ball to start the game. I've already thrown 150km/h informally, but I want to throw a ball a little faster than that this year. It's a dream-like story, but the goal is to shoot 160km/h someday. He also expressed his strong ambition, saying, "As I have many good friends this year, I will aim for three championships."

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*This content was translated by AI.