'KBO Top Overall Pick Prospect' Busan High's Ha Hyun-seung to Stay in Korea... "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 who is a strong candidate for the overall first pick in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, has chosen to remain in Korea.

Busan High 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 quickly gained fame as one of the top three prospects competing for the overall first pick in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, scheduled to be held in September this year, alongside Deoksu High's Eom Jun-sang (18) and Seoul High's Kim Ji-woo (18).

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 attracted significant attention since his freshman year. As a position player, he is praised for his above-average contact ability and significantly improved power-hitting production. As a pitcher, his 194cm height and 94kg weight, according to the Korea Baseball & Softball Association (KBSA) standards, generate high RBI production, a difficult deception, and fast velocity, complemented by solid control. Since the end of last year, he has been evaluated as having slider completion at the highest level.

Even this year, as a senior, he is considered different from other promising prospects. In his senior season, as a pitcher, he recorded 7 games, 2 wins, 0 losses, an ERA of 0.00, 23 innings, 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) in 13 games, with 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 1 stolen base, a .589 on-base percentage, a .837 slugging percentage, and a 1.426 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

A KBO scout who watched this year's Golden Lion Cup praised Ha Hyun-seung, saying, "Ha Hyun-seung showed why he is a top overall pick candidate. His fast fastball and sharp slider are at a level difficult for high schoolers to handle. In terms of tunneling and breaking, he is at the highest level. As a batter, his ability to produce extra-base hits has improved even more than last year."

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*This content was translated by AI.