*This content was translated by AI.
Recently, as KBO clubs are working hard to foster the next generation of center field, another prospect has emerged. He is Kwon Sang-hyuk (18), a senior center fielder at Seoul High School.
Kwon Sang-hyuk is a flimsy outfielder based on the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) with a height of 178 centimeters and a weight of 75 kilograms. He transferred from Deoksu High School to Seoul High School last year and is on the verge of making his full-fledged national competition debut this year.
Kwon Sang-hyuk's strength that KBO scouts pick is by far speed. After the long-term high school autumn baseball tournament in Seoul in November last year, Kwon Sang-hyuk ranked first in the 55m sprint test with 6.69 seconds in front of scouts.
Even at the professional level, the speed is hard to see. Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) and Jihoon Choi (29, SSG Landers), who are famous for their speed, are also known to be around 7 seconds in the 55m sprint. Of course, the measurement environment was different and there may be differences depending on the curve and the base running skills, but it is clear that Kwon Sang-hyuk's feet are the nation's top speed.
KBO scout, who met at Mokdong Baseball Stadium last year, told Star News, "There are several center field players to see next year (2026), and Seoul High School Kwon Sang-hyuk, who transferred from Deoksu High School, is one of them. He hinted that he has fast feet and wide defensive range and has good technique to hit the ball.
The player himself is clearly aware of his strengths. Kwon Sang-hyuk recently met with Star News at Seoul High School and said, "My biggest strength is my fast feet and good contact ability. I'm confident that no matter which pitcher comes up, I'll hit the ball. I think he's good at picking out breaking balls. "It's another advantage of me to get on base somehow," he said with strength.
He said, "We are training to be faster to maximize our advantages. I also feel that batting speed is very important, so I do weight training hard to increase my body's speed and muscle strength," he said.
The 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, which will be held in the second half of this year, is evaluated as not bad as a center fielder. Kwon Sang-hyuk, Park Bo-seung (18) of Gyeongnam High School, Jo Hee-sung (18) of Yu Shin-go, and Bae Jong-yoon (18) of Gwangju Il High School are expected to be nominated for the upper round.
Among them, Kwon Sang-hyuk's pride in center field is unlikely to be beaten by anyone. Kwon Sang-hyuk said, "I've liked Doosan Bears and Jung Soo-bin since I was young. So when I started playing baseball (second grade in elementary school), I played center field. I transferred to Seoul High School because I wanted to continue playing center field. I've been told that I'm good at using my body before, so I'm confident in a strong throw," he said with a smile.
"The role model is Ichiro Suzuki. "I'm good at baseball, but I wanted to resemble him because he has a really cool mindset and attitude and self-management of baseball," he added.
There is still much to prove. After moving to Seoul High School, he played in only six games and had a batting average of only 0.200 (2 hits in 10 at-bats). This is the aftermath of the six-month suspension (disciplinary action due to transfer during the season) and the actual absence.
Kwon Sang-hyuk said, "Apart from winning the school, my personal goal is batting .400 and stealing the first place. I also want to show that I have the most stolen bases and some home runs in the country. "It's my role to shake the pitcher somehow and get on base and hit home anytime," he stressed.
He said, "I want to do well and go to the Doosan Bears, which I've liked since I was young. "I want to go to the professional league and face the best pitcher of the year like Ponce last year," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
