'5R·7R·10R' When it comes to KIA, the draft pick order doesn't matter — they all explode! How did the 'Tigers' watermelon baseball' become possible, as directly stated by players and coaches?

*This content was translated by AI.

One word that summarizes the 2026 KIA Tigers so far is 'watermelon baseball.' After a heartbreaking parting during the off-season, young Tigers are popping up one after another, making fans' hearts flutter again.

Especially noteworthy is the pitching staff, centered on starting pitcher Hwang Dong-ha (24), ace reliever Kwak Do-gyu (22), and new closer Sung Young-tak (22), all selected in the lower rounds. Hwang Dong-ha was selected 65th overall in the 2nd round of the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Insaeng High School; Kwak Do-gyu was selected 42nd overall in the 5th round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft after graduating from Gungu High School; and Sung Young-tak was selected 96th overall in the 10th round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft, all donning KIA uniforms.

They share one commonality. During high school, all three had fastball velocities in the 130th km/h range, which were considered difficult to survive on in the professional ranks. Yet, at KIA, they achieved dramatic velocity increases. However, it cannot be said that they succeeded solely for that reason. While all teams place hope in velocity increases when selecting players, those picked from the 5th round and below are often compared to lottery tickets. Despite these extremely low odds, why do players explode upon joining KIA regardless of their draft pick order? Even if it's merely a result of hindsight, we asked directly to find out.

First, the coaches credited the players' performance. In particular, Lee Beom-ho (43), KIA's first-division pitching coach, recently met with StarNews in Gwangju and stated clearly that the reason Hwang Dong-ha, Kwak Do-gyu, and Sung Young-tak are performing well is "the players' mindset is excellent. These players fundamentally possess the mental fortitude and skills to compete against opponents."

He continued, "There is a huge difference between doubting oneself when shaken on the mound or giving opponents room to fight. They fundamentally have the mental strength and aggressive mindset to steer the game. When players like these see their velocity increase and accumulate outs, the confidence they gain leads to even better results."

In fact, Hwang Dong-ha, Kwak Do-gyu, and Sung Young-tak were pitchers who did not fear facing top hitters in the league, even with initial velocities in the early 140 km/h range upon debut. Coach Lee Beom-ho emphasized, "Anyone can throw a ball. What is extremely important is how to set up the next pitch when that ball fails. Yet, these players showed maturity in this aspect even after being selected in the lower rounds. Because they possess a mature mindset, they are experiencing synergy as they grow physically and technically."

Conversely, the players pointed to the atmosphere created by coaches Lee Beom-ho (45), Senior Coach Son Seung-rak (44), and Coach Lee Beom-ho, as well as senior players like Yang Hyeon-jong (38) and Na Sung-beom (37). Kwak Do-gyu, when asked about the recent success of lower-round players, calmly replied, "First, I think the rookie draft pick order is about timing. Players picked in higher rounds should have pride, while those picked in lower rounds should believe they simply missed their timing. That mindset is positive for them. Most of our team thinks this way. No one is arrogant about being a 1st-round pick, and no one is arrogant about being an 11th-round pick. That team atmosphere has been the most helpful for growth."

He added, "And actually, I've known (Sung) Young-tak since his time at Busan High School, so his selection in the 11th round was actually surprising to me. In my eyes, Young-tak was a sure bet for professional selection, and I believed he would do well within a year. Even before Young-tak secured his spot, I had already mentioned in other interviews that he would do well."

Additionally, an anecdote shared by Kwak Do-gyu about Coach Lee Beom-ho and Senior Coach Son Seung-rak added a special touch to the Tigers' culture. Kwak Do-gyu said, "When Coach Son Seung-rak was in the minor league, he always encouraged players to ask 'Why?' When a problem arose in a single motion, he didn't just look at the visible result but searched for the problem in the preceding motion. At least, that way of thinking greatly helped my growth."

He continued, "I'm not sure if the KIA Tigers intentionally fostered that way of thinking among players. But if they did, I believe that is the reason players with lower draft picks grew so quickly. Both (Hwang) Dong-ha and (Sung) Young-tak didn't just think 'work hard'; they questioned 'why'."

Another aspect is the culture where, when young prospects fail, no one is singled out for blame; instead, everyone reflects and discusses how to move forward. This was evident when they avenged the pain of losing 9-10 in the 9th inning of the the 20th game against the Suwon KT Wiz, where they allowed six runs, by hitting 20 hits (both long and short) on the 21st and crushing the opponent 11-5.

Kwak Do-gyu shared his true feelings: "Everyone says it's okay to fail, but the social atmosphere is actually not like that. At the Tigers, it was different. In our team, failure wasn't just a word; there were many things that made it feel like a failure in the process of growth. By experiencing 'intentional failure,' I believe I, along with (Hwang) Dong-ha and (Sung) Young-tak, felt many things and gradually improved. Coach Lee Beom-ho was a great help in that regard."

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*This content was translated by AI.