High schooler explodes with 3 hits and 3 RBIs against professionals! 'Top position player prospect' Lee Ho-min: "I like and am good at driving in runs" — His confidence was not unfounded

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Ho-min (18, Gyeongnam High), evaluated as a top candidate for the first round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, proved why he is regarded as the 'top position player prospect' from his very first game with the youth national team.

On the 27th, Lee Ho-min started as the fourth hitter and first baseman for the South Korea U-18 youth national baseball team in an exhibition match against Ulsan Whales at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium. He went 3-for-4 with three hits and three RBIs in a standout performance. The national team scored five runs in the final inning, the seventh, to secure a 6-2 comeback victory.

The decisive moment came in the top of the seventh. After the national team took a 3-2 lead, Lee Ho-min stepped up to the plate with no outs and runners on first and third. He drove in two runs with a three-run triple that sliced through center-left field off pitcher Park Seong-woong's pitch. The score quickly expanded to 5-2. Although he had recorded a hit in his previous at-bat, Lee Ho-min was not satisfied. As he put it himself, it was not a solid contact. At that moment, National Team Manager Jung Yun-jin (55) gave him an instruction.

After the game, when asked about the situation, Lee Ho-min said, "I did get a hit in my previous at-bat, but it wasn't a solid hit or a hard-hit ball. The manager told me, 'Even if you have to die, just try to lightly bunt it back.' As I kept thinking about hitting it lightly while facing breaking balls, my swing shortened and I started making solid contact. Fortunately, a straight pitch came in on my preferred spot, leading to a good result."

This was not merely an accidental performance in a single game. His ability to produce RBIs has been Lee Ho-min's most reliable strength since his high school days. In his third-year season, he played 20 games with a batting average of .420 (69 at-bats, 29 hits), two home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 runs scored, six stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .523, a slugging percentage of .609, and an OPS of 1.132. He was even hotter during the Golden Sajakji tournament. In four games, he hit .625 (16 at-bats, 10 hits), with two home runs and nine RBIs, earning both the Most Home Runs Award and the Most RBIs Award simultaneously.

He also collected 45 RBIs in 31 games during his second year. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to bring runners home in crucial moments. Scout A from a KBO team said, "Lee Ho-min has been handling the core of Gyeongnam High's batting lineup since his first year and has consistently driven in runs in important situations. This is thanks to his strong ability to handle balls that drift outside or high pitches at the high school level. We rated his clutch ability very highly."

He himself is clearly confident in this strength. Lee Ho-min emphasized, "I like driving in runs and I think I'm good at it. I hope such opportunities come often, and if they do, I will make the most of them."

Manager Jung Yun-jin also expressed satisfaction with the offensive approach shown by the national team's lineup in their first real game. It was not simply relying on extra-base hits; rather, the process of creating runners, executing strategies, and having the next batter deliver was praised as excellent. Lee Ho-min's triple marked the peak of that flow. Jo Hee-seok and Ahn Woo-suk created opportunities with bunts and sacrifice bunts, Hwang Sung-hyun hit a go-ahead double, and Eom Jun-sang extended the chance with a bunt single, allowing Lee Ho-min to bring in both runners.

The KBO scouts who attended the game were also satisfied with what they saw. At least two KBO team presidents and scouts from all 10 teams were present to watch the practice game.

KBO team scouts currently meeting at the site evaluate Lee Ho-min as a strong first-round candidate. Excluding Ha Hyun-seung (18, Busan High) and Kim Ji-woo (18, Seoul High), who are drawing attention for their two-way capabilities, he is considered among the very top pure position players. With Choi Jee-man (35, Ulsan Whales), a player noted as an immediate contributor, also participating in this draft, it has become an interesting point of interest to see which player will be called first.

Lee Ho-min said with a bright smile, "I am most satisfied that I spent the season without any major injuries. It's a pity we didn't win the championship, but I'm happy to have been on the same team as (Park) Bo-seung and (An)Woo Seok-i-wa (CEO)." He added, "My goal in the upcoming draft is to be called quickly by name."

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*This content was translated by AI.