'Top Prospect for KBO Overall No. 1 Draft Pick' Busan High School's Ha Hyun-seung to Remain in Korea... "I Will Grow in Korea Before Going to the U.S."

*This content was translated by AI.

Ha Hyun-seung (18), a two-way pitcher and batter from Busan High School who is a strong candidate for the overall No. 1 pick in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, has chosen to remain in Korea.

Busan High School head coach Park Gye-won told StarNews on the 29th, "Ha Hyun-seung has decided to stay in Korea. Three Major League teams, including the New York Yankees, were targeting him. However, after much deliberation, Ha Hyun-seung said he will grow in Korea before heading to the U.S."

Ha Hyun-seung became widely known as one of the top three prospects competing for the overall No. 1 pick in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, scheduled to be held in September this year, alongside Eom Jun-sang (18) from Deoksu High School and Kim Ji-woo (18) from Seoul High School.

Inheriting a large physique from his father, a national team high jumper, and his mother, a reserve member of the national long jump team, Ha Hyun-seung has drawn significant attention since his freshman year. He is also praised for his above-average contact ability and power-hitting potential as a position player. As a pitcher, his 194cm height and 94kg weight according to the Korea Baseball & Softball Association (KBSA) standards, combined with his high batting average, deceptive delivery, and fast pitch velocity, along with decent control, make him an attractive prospect. Since late last year, he has been evaluated as having a slider at the highest level of completion.

This year, as a senior, he is also considered different from other promising players. In his senior season, as a pitcher, he recorded 7 games, 2 wins, 0 losses, an ERA of 0.00, 23 innings pitched, 8 walks, 38 strikeouts, 2 runs allowed (0 earned runs), and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.65. As a batter, he posted a .488 batting average (21 hits in 43 at-bats) over 13 games, with 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 1 stolen base, a .589 on-base percentage, a .837 slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.426.

A KBO scout who watched this year's Golden Lion Cup praised Ha Hyun-seung, saying, "Ha Hyun-seung showed why he is a candidate for the overall No. 1 pick. His fast fastball and sharp slider are at a level difficult for high school batters to handle. In terms of tunneling and breaking, he is at the highest level. As a batter, his ability to generate extra-base hits has improved even more compared to last year."

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

*This content was translated by AI.