*This content was translated by AI.
Ha Hyun-seung (18), a two-way player at Busan High, revealed why he turned down a strong offer from the prestigious Major League Baseball (MLB) club, the New York Yankees, and chose to remain in Korea.
In a phone interview with StarNews on the 29th, Ha Hyun-seung said, "This was my own decision. I felt I was still lacking a lot and needed to gain more experience. I wanted to grow steadily in Korea and then challenge myself in the United States."
On the previous day (the 29th), Ha Hyun-seung made his stance clear on his social media, stating he would stay in Korea. In his statement, he began by saying, "I sincerely thank everyone who has shown great interest and support regarding my career path."
He continued, "I was truly honored to receive significant interest from many Major League Baseball clubs. It was a stage I had always dreamed of. After thorough discussions with my parents and Busan High coach Park Gye-won, I decided to begin my professional career in the KBO League. I believed it was more important to build my fundamentals and gain experience in the KBO League, learning from and growing under excellent seniors."
The interest from Major League Baseball in Ha Hyun-seung was indeed real. Since his freshman year at Busan High, he attracted attention from scouts both domestically and internationally due to his exceptional physical condition and surprising flexibility for his build. He inherited athletic genes from his father, a former national high jump representative, and his mother, who was a reserve member of the national long jump team.
As a pitcher, he was highly praised for his powerful fastball delivered from a high release point and a slider at the highest high school level. As a batter, his contact ability was highly rated. Although he focused on two-way play and did not participate in defense for a while, when he did play outfield, his defensive skills were considered outstanding, leading many domestic and international scouts to compare him to Choo Shin-soo (44) during his high school days.
By his senior year, he surpassed other top prospects like Eom Jun-sang (18) from Deoksu High and Kim Ji-woo (18) from Seoul High, who were previously classified as part of the same "Big Three," and entered the radar of MLB scouts. According to StarNews' investigation, the New York Yankees, who had the highest international draft bonus pool this year, offered a signing bonus of around 2.3 million dollars (approximately 3.4 billion won) and actively pursued him. One team from the American League West Division and one from the National League Central Division also joined the bidding.
His prospects also closely resemble those of Busan High senior Choo Shin-soo. During his time at Busan High, Choo Shin-soo was also a two-way player, but at graduation, his talent as a pitcher was evaluated slightly higher. Similarly, Ha Hyun-seung gained attention in his senior year primarily for his abilities as a pitcher.
In particular, despite making changes to his pitching form last winter, he improved the completion of his slider, earning the reputation of being untouchable on the high school stage. His stats this year—7 games, 2 wins, 0 losses, 0.00 ERA, 23 innings, 8 walks, 38 strikeouts, and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.65—further demonstrated his dominance.
However, the Yankees viewed Ha Hyun-seung as a batter. Ha Hyun-seung said, "The Yankees saw me more favorably as a batter than as a pitcher. They offered to let me try a two-way role, and I liked those conditions, but I felt I could do well enough in Korea as well. I believe going to the U.S. through the posting system from a better environment is currently my biggest goal."
Recently, seniors who have successfully established themselves in the KBO League despite being rookies also influenced his decision. Although the sample size is still small, Park Jun-hyun (19, Kiwoom Heroes), who has shown a successful performance with 5 games, 1 win, 1 loss, and a 2.84 ERA, is a representative example.
Ha Hyun-seung's decision to stay in Korea has brought smiles to Kiwoom Heroes, who hold the first overall draft pick for this year. In the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, scheduled for September this year, Ha Hyun-seung being selected first overall is the most likely scenario at this point. As a batter this year, Ha Hyun-seung posted an outstanding .488 batting average (21 hits in 43 at-bats), 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 across 13 games, giving KBO clubs a happy dilemma.
A KBO scout who watched the Golden Lion Cup recently 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 compared to last year."
Ha Hyun-seung candidly shared his feelings, saying, "I did consider going to the U.S., but I thought players who go there might face less environmental stress, and I wondered if I would find that part difficult."
He further emphasized, "First, I want to go to the U.S. after doing well as both a pitcher and a batter in Korea. I felt hope seeing many seniors doing well in the first division. I do not think the Korean professional baseball level is low; I feel there is much to learn. Also, environmentally, I thought I could learn a lot from seniors without any hesitation."
Regarding the expectations from KBO fans that have already begun, Ha Hyun-seung adopted a cautious attitude. He said, "It would be great if I were selected first overall. But I might not be picked..." while holding back, then added, "Since I said I would join the KBO League, it is natural to want to be number one in Korea. Although there has never been a successful case in Korea yet, I want to be remembered as a player who excels at both pitching and hitting."
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*This content was translated by AI.
