*This content was translated by AI.
"I honestly can't think of anything but Ha Hyun-seung, Um Jun-sang, and Kim Ji-woo."
This is what a Major League (ML) scout said looking back on the dynamic 2025. It's just one word from the point of view of ML scouts, but KBO scouts' views on the size of their talents are not much different.
The 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, which will be held later this year, is already drawing keen attention from KBO fans as there are all-time talents who have stood out since their freshman year. The main characters are Ha Hyun-seung (18) of Busan High School, Um Jun-sang (18) of Deokso High School, and Kim Ji-woo (18) of Seoul High School.
All three of them played both pitching and batting, but excellently played the second year season without any major injuries. At the end of the second year season, Ha Hyun-seung and Kim Ji-woo were generally highly regarded as pitchers and Um Jun-sang as fielders. But there are still scouts who can't let go of the possibility of the other side, so the debate is ongoing. Although each of them has a different proportion of training, the three will continue their pitching and batting jobs this year.
Each one's strengths are slightly different. Ha Hyun-seung's physicality and flexibility that ML also covets, Um Jun-sang's defense that allows shortstop and amazing sense, and Kim Ji-woo's overwhelming power. Even Kim Ji-woo, who left the most disappointing performance, is still comparable to the talent of Noh Si-hwan and Kang Baek-ho (Hanhwa Eagles). KBO Scout A, who recently contacted Star News, said, "Kim Ji-woo is a player with very high potential. The power tool is so good and the strength of the ball is so attractive. He also praised his fast bat speed, saying, "He is the best at hitting fast balls among the three (Ha Hyun-seung, Kim Ji-woo, and Um Jun-sang)."
Some say it is better than Park Joon-hyun (Kium Heroes), Kim Sung-joon (Texas Rangers), and Seo Moon-joon (Toronto Blue Jays), who were called the big three last year. That's why there's an explosion of interest. When asked by Star News to evaluate based on January 2026, ML Scout B said, "Park Joon-hyun, Seo Moon-joon, and Kim Sung-joon were also good players last year. But three people are definitely better this year," he said flatly.
Another ML Scout C said, "The potential is naturally three better now. It's been a long time since these prospects came out at the same time, and frankly, there aren't many three. All three players can get Major League offers if they do well this year," he stressed.
According to them, even the Kiwoom Heroes, who have the first nomination right for this year's rookie draft, are not relieved. However, it is based on the premise that it will show more than last year's performance and development potential.
The most consistent performance last year was Eom Joon-sang. In particular, even though he has hardly trained as a pitcher, his slow control and breaking ball control, which cooks the opponent's batters, are impressive. However, the negative factor is that the hit was greatly shaken in the youth national team in September. The key to Ha Hyun-seung is how much he can show his inconsistent fastball speed. Last year, Ha Hyun-seung's fastball control and speed were jagged in the process of correcting the backswing among the pitching mechanisms. Kim Ji-woo showed the most overwhelming fastball among the three, but lacked consistency in hitting and defense.
ML Scout B said, "All three of them are similar at the moment. Ha Hyun-seung has a high potential physically, but he actually didn't feel much difference from his freshman year. Right now, Um Jun-sang is the best both as a defense and as a batter. If Ha Hyun-seung falls the most among the three, and Kim Ji-woo also comes to the Major League, it would be better for the batter. Power is the best of the three," he said.
The overall evaluation was similar. ML Scout C said, "At this point, I think all three are completely on the same level. Everyone has talent and is watching, but no player comes out clearly," he pointed out with a cool head. "Kim Ji-woo should show a more advanced form in hitting. Um Jun-sang should focus more on the bat. The contact accuracy is too poor. Ha Hyun-seung is not holding fast. If you throw 150km consistently, you will see Ha Hyun-seung as high among the three. But if I don't, I think Kim Ji-woo is the best among the three," he added.
Analysts say that an offer of more than 1 million dollars (about 1.4 billion won) is sufficient depending on what was shown this year. Although not as much as last year, competition is expected to be fierce this year as there are several teams with sufficient international contract draft money. ML Scout C said, "There are some clubs with international draft money left this year. (As expected now) I think I will have to give more than 1 million dollars unconditionally, but I think it will depend on the club's strategy. From now on, it's important who hits it," he expected.
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*This content was translated by AI.
