[Official] NC pitcher Hong Jae-moon wins 'ERA 0.00, No. 1 Overall' in the pitching category; KT outfielder Lee Jae-won wins with '7 hits, 4 RBIs' — both receive the August Mediheal Futures Rookie Award

*This content was translated by AI.

NC Dinos pitcher Hong Jae-moon and KT outfielder Lee Jae-won have each claimed the August Mediheal Futures Rookie Award.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 2nd that for the 2026 Mediheal KBO Futures League, which selects the best low-year players of each month, NC's Hong Jae-moon, who recorded a WAR of 0.69 in the pitching category, and KT outfielder Lee Jae-won, who recorded a WAR of 0.46 in the batting category, were selected as the August Mediheal Futures Rookie Award winners.

Pitching award winner NC's Hong Jae-moon attended Cheongju High School and Dongui University of Science before joining NC as the 37th pick in the fourth round of the 2025 Rookie Draft. After being added to the roster from a development player status on July 1, Hong has steadily gained experience in the Futures League since his debut, demonstrating his potential.

In the batting category, Lee Jae-won, who graduated from Masan High School and was selected by KT as the 56th pick in the sixth round of the 2026 Rookie Draft, received the honor. Following his first at-bat home run as a pinch-hitter in his debut game against LG on June 4, Lee has also shown impressive performances in the Futures League.

NC's Hong Jae-moon started all three of his August Futures League appearances, pitching 12 innings (5th in the Southern Division). During this period, he allowed only six hits and one walk while recording 10 strikeouts (5th in the Southern Division), posting an ERA of 0.00 to rank first overall and prove his outstanding pitching ability.

KT's Lee Jae-won recorded a batting average of 0.292, a slugging percentage of 0.333, and an on-base percentage of 0.433 during August. Starting in all six games he played that month, he contributed to team victories with seven hits and four RBIs. Notably, Lee led his team to an 11-7 win against Doosan on the 20th with a standout performance of three hits and two RBIs.

The August Mediheal Futures Rookie Award winner receives a commemorative trophy, along with a cash prize of 500,000 won and Mediheal cosmetic products worth 500,000 won, supported by Mediheal.

Meanwhile, the monthly Mediheal Futures Rookie Award was first established in 2024 through the sponsorship of Mediheal, the title sponsor of the Futures League. The KBO stated that the award was created to encourage low-year players active in the Futures League and to support the development of promising young talents.

The eligibility criteria require players who have been with their team for one to three years and have met the required innings or plate appearances in the Futures League. The award recognizes the top pitcher and batter based on monthly WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in the Futures League.

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*This content was translated by AI.