'I should have tried it sooner' Debut victory sparks 'Fire Park Jun-young' — Could 'Rookie Hitter Award' go to Bae Seung-soo?

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Jun-young (24, Hanwha Eagles), who dominated the Futures League, has finally seized his opportunity and became the first player from the development roster to secure a debut victory.

On the 10th, Park Jun-young started for Hanwha in a regular-season home game against the LG Twins at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, pitching 5 innings with 3 hits allowed, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, and allowing no runs, leading Hanwha to a 9-3 victory.

Park Jun-young, who graduated from Yeongil Elementary, Yeongnam Middle, Chungam High School, and Cheongwon University, went undrafted by any of the 10th KBO teams in last year's rookie draft. He joined Hanwha as a development player after passing a test held in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, at the end of last year while appearing on the baseball variety show 'Bulkkot Baseball'.

As a development player, he was only eligible to play in the Futures League until April. In 7 games, he pitched 28 innings, recording 4 wins with no losses, an ERA of 1.29, 22 strikeouts, and a batting average against of 0.186, displaying overwhelmingly dominant form and winning the Futures League Monthly Rookie Award.

In May, development players became eligible for registration. With key starting pitchers struggling, the team had to rely on temporary starters, including Park Jun-young, who had been active in the bullpen, Kang Geon-woo, and even Jung Woo-ju, who had been part of the winning relief corps. Yet, the opportunity did not return to Park Jun-young, the top pitcher in the Futures League.

It was only after ten days into May that he finally got his chance, and Park Jun-young delivered a stingy performance, allowing no runs against the LG lineup, which is competing for the top spot.

There were moments of danger, but he finished scoreless with a calm pitching style befitting a rookie. After the game, Park Jun-young said, "When I came out after pitching the 5th inning, I was preparing for the next inning. But my stuff had dropped significantly, and Coach Park Seung-min told me, 'You did really well today and worked hard.' Coach Kim Kyung-moon also said, 'I'm truly grateful, you did a great job, that was a nice pitch,' so I was very happy."

Coach Kim Kyung-moon has repeatedly expressed his intention this season that "it must be resolved here (in the first division)." Even if players active in the first division experience a temporary slump, they ultimately have a role to fulfill, and the team must help them regain their form and utilize them. However, through Park Jun-young, he confirmed that a player who dominates in the Futures League can certainly succeed in the first division as well.

Attention now turns to Bae Seung-soo (20), who, along with Park Jun-young, won the Medihill Futures League Monthly Rookie Award for March and April. Bae Seung-soo is a right-handed batter and infielder who joined Hanwha after graduating from Deoksu High School, selected in the 32nd pick of the 4th round in the 2025 rookie draft.

He played in 26 Futures League games, batting .328 with an on-base percentage of .494 (2nd in the Northern League), sharing the honor with Park Jun-young. Last year, he managed only a .235 batting average, 5 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 40 runs in the Futures League, but this season shows how much he has grown.

The KBO stated, "Bae Seung-soo, in his second year, has been gaining experience in the Futures League since last year. In 26 games during March and April, he recorded a .328 batting average, 22 hits, and 19 walks, achieving a .494 on-base percentage (2nd in the Northern League), demonstrating high contribution across all aspects of offense."

Unlike the shaky pitching staff, the Hanwha batting lineup has shown outstanding performance, leading in runs (224), RBIs (209), slugging percentage (.420), OPS (.782), and batting average with runners in scoring position (.301), while ranking 2nd in batting average (.278) and home runs (40).

In the infield, Sim Woo-jun (.267), Ha Joo-seok (.256), Chae Eun-seong (.245), and Noh Si-hwan (.242) have struggled, creating opportunities for Lee Do-yoon (.296) and Hwang Young-mok (.295) to step up and make their presence felt. The situation is ripe for Bae Seung-soo to receive his chance as well.

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*This content was translated by AI.