Moon Dong-ju → Kim Seo-hyun → Jung Woo-ju continuous jackpot, and now Oh Jae-won bursts... Hanwha erased all of Hanwha's "middle-field player-1 hitter concerns."

*This content was translated by AI.

"The Hanwha Eagles are Yushin High School center fielder Oh Jae-won."

In the first round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft in September last year, the name that came out of general manager Son Hyuk's mouth was unexpected. There were many pitchers who received more attention, but Hanwha boldly chose outfielder Oh Jae-won (19).

Six months have passed since then. Although it has not even entered the full-fledged season yet, Hanwha's choice is already nodding.

Oh Jae-won played in 10 of the 11 practice games he played through the first spring camp in Melbourne, Australia, and the second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, and hit 11 hits in 33 at-bats with a batting average of 0.379. He was the star of the most hits in the team in this spring camp.

He hit a double and a home run, posted five RBIs each, and struck out only two, but he walked four and stole two bases, emerging as Hanwha's most likely leadoff candidate with seven points.

He also proved his defensive ability, which had been highly evaluated since Hanwha was nominated in the rookie draft. He drew admiration every day based on his fast feet and amazing batting judgment that was not like a rookie.

Right-left outfielder Oh Jae-won, who was selected by Hanwha in the third round of the first round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Sindoh Elementary, Bucheon Middle and Yushin High School, has attracted the attention of Major League scouts since his first year of high school with his fast feet and excellent center field defense despite his small size with 177 centimeters and 76 kilograms.

Oh Jae-won, who hit hard with a high school batting average of 0.420, won the Star Award in baseball at the "2025 Futures Star Awards" last year. Although it was evaluated that it could work right away in the professional league, doubts followed over whether Hanwha's choice to use the first-round nomination as an outfielder was right, but Hanwha showed faith by paying a down payment of 270 million won.

It was an adventure for Hanwha as well. Among the rookies selected by Hanwha over the past decade, Kim Tae-yeon (2nd 6R in 2016), Jung Eun-won (2nd 3R in 2018), Noh Si-hwan (2nd 1R in 2019), Moon Hyun-bin (2R in 2023) and Hwang Young-mook (4R in 2024). Among them, only Noh Si-hwan and Moon Hyun-bin succeeded in the upper round.

Nevertheless, Oh Jae-won was chosen because he discovered that there was a clear possibility of success, and he confirmed that the possibility was not unnecessary in a very short time.

This season, Hanwha placed Jonathan Peraza and Moon Hyun-bin on the left and right sides. Both of them were former infielders, and they are still somewhat disappointed in defense compared to hitting. There was a desperate need for an outstanding center fielder with a wide range of defense, but Oh Jae-won proved to be a clear alternative.

In addition, he proved that he can play his role in the leadoff position, which was one of the concerns last year. He showed off his outstanding contact ability to make the most hits in practice games, as well as his pioneering eye to pick out the ball and all the skills needed for the first hitter to go one more base.

Coach Kim Kyung-moon said at the end of the spring camp, "I've discovered a lot of good things about the team through this camp. "I want to praise him for his good defense and his team's batting in batting while playing practice games," he said. "I think we can expect a few new pitchers." "I will go back to Korea and prepare for the last time with the players and visit the fans in good form," he said.

After returning home through Incheon International Airport on the 5th, the Hanwha team will continue to prepare for the season by playing practice games against the Futures team in Daejeon on the 9th and 10th.

It is too early to make a premature assessment. There is a clear difference between practice and exhibition games, and there is a bigger difference between exhibition games and regular season. However, it was an opportunity to clearly feel that he was an unusual player. Therefore, expectations are bound to be more focused on future moves.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.