"AGAIN 1999," "You Are the Future"... Sincerity and Expectations Filled in Rookies' Uniforms

*This content was translated by AI.

"AGAIN 1999," "You Are the Future of Doosan Bears"...

At the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft held on the 21st at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa-gu, Seoul, each team showcased uniforms filled with sincerity and expectations, drawing attention. During the event, general managers of all 10 teams announced their first-round picks one by one, then went on stage to personally put the uniform on the selected players.

Kiwoom Heroes, who exercised their draft rights first, delivered a uniform pre-prepared with the name "Ha Hyun-seung" and the jersey number "27," signifying the 2027 rookies. The second-place pick, Doosan Bears, also presented a uniform marked with "Kim Ji-woo." Below the name, they wrote the phrase "You Are the Future of Doosan Bears," expressing their expectations for the player.

KIA Tigers, who picked third for Lee Ho-min, engraved "Rookie Tiger" instead of the player's name. The fourth-place pick, Lotte Giants (Park Geun-seo), wrote only the number "2027" without a name. The fifth-place pick, KT Wiz (Lee Seung-won), placed "ROOKIE" in the name position without a jersey number.

In the first round, selections could change depending on earlier picks, especially after the midpoint. However, NC Dinos, picking sixth, had already prepared and delivered a uniform with "Park Bo-seung" and the number "27." The seventh-place pick, Samsung Lions (Kim Min-hoon), engraved "ROOKIE 2027," while the eighth-place pick, SSG Landers (Lee Yoon-sung), left the back of the uniform completely blank.

The team that used a unique word was the ninth-place pick, Hanwha Eagles (Min Ju-hong). The name position read "AGAIN," and the jersey number was "1999." A Hanwha official stated, "We marked it with the meaning of hoping he will become the key figure to recreate the glory of the 1999 championship." Hanwha also provided uniforms with each player's name and "2027" written on them so they could feel a sense of belonging. Finally, LG Twins presented a uniform engraved with "2027 ROOKIE" to Yoon Ye-seong.

Meanwhile, Kiwoom presented mango cakes to the players selected by the team at the draft site to convey congratulations and welcome. A Kiwoom official explained, "We prepared this inspired by an anecdote about Ha Hyun-seung, who participated in the 14th Asian Youth Baseball Championship held recently in Taiwan as part of the U-18 national team. Ha had mentioned before the tournament that he wanted to eat local mangoes if he went to Taiwan, and it is said that the Korea Baseball and Softball Association prepared mangoes for the team."

Ha Hyun-seung shared his thoughts, saying, "I didn't expect the team to care so meticulously. Thanks to this, I feel more real about joining professional baseball. I am happy to have joined my desired team, Kiwoom Heroes, and look forward to the days ahead."

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*This content was translated by AI.