'Happiness is not determined by draft order,' as Choi Hyung-woo and Seo Geon-chang convey: Even development players and released athletes can bloom into stars

*This content was translated by AI.

At the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, attention focused squarely on players selected in the upper rounds. While all rookies receive the minimum salary in their first year, signing bonuses vary significantly.

Ha Hyun-seung (Kiwoom Heroes), who received an offer of up to $3.5 million (approximately 4.766 billion won) from a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, is expected to secure a signing bonus exceeding 1 billion won.

However, being selected in the upper rounds and receiving a large signing bonus does not guarantee success. Conversely, even players selected in lower rounds—or those who were not selected at all—have had their doors to success opened, as confirmed by over 40 years of professional baseball history. Happiness is not determined by draft order.

Countless players have been selected in upper rounds with high expectations but failed to make a significant impact and faded into history.

KIA Tigers' Han Ki-ju (1 billion won), Kiwoom Heroes' Jang Jae-young (900 million won), Hyundai Unicorns' Im Seon-dong, KIA's Kim Jin-woo, and Hanwha Eagles' Yoo Chang-sik (all 700 million won) still rank among the highest signing bonuses in history. Yet most either failed to achieve success commensurate with expectations or left only a fleeting impact without sustaining their performance over time.

This year, out of 1,280 applicants, only 110 succeeded in securing employment. The employment rate was a mere 8.5%. It was a history marked by countless repeated disappointments. Nevertheless, the examples of seniors who did not give up and achieved success stories provide comfort.

There are also legendary players who grew into figures who made a mark on professional baseball as development players—formerly known as registered players or trainees—even though they did not initially sign formal contracts with teams.

Jang Jong-hoon is the most representative example. With a slender build, he was not formally selected and instead joined Binggrae Eagles as a trainee. He endured hellish training sessions that earned him the nickname "practice bug" and became the original "registered player myth," winning three home run titles and two Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.

Many players followed in his footsteps afterward. Kim Hyun-soo (KT), who received the 'Lee Young-min Batting Award'—given to the top amateur batter—but bowed his head at the rookie draft, joined Doosan as a registered player and has been performing as one of the league's top-tier players for 19 seasons.

Seo Geon-chang (Kiwoom) joined LG as a registered player in 2008 but experienced the pain of release. After passing an entry test, he joined Nexen (the predecessor of Kiwoom), won Rookie of the Year in 2012, became the first player in KBO history to record 200 hits in 2014, and also claimed the MVP award. Although he later fell into a slump and was released by KIA, he has fully revived with Kiwoom this season, serving as an example for aspiring stars still nurturing their dreams.

Park Hae-min and Shin Min-jae (both LG), and Chae Eun-seong (Hanwha) also joined as development players and are currently performing as top-tier players.

There have also been significant uprisings by lower-round selections—players who turned their anxiety and desperate hope of being selected at the last moment into seeds of success on the professional stage. Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) was selected in the 2nd round, 8th overall pick (59th overall) in the 2006 draft by Doosan. After joining the team, he quickly enlisted in the police baseball team, built his physique, corrected his batting stance, and grew into the most outstanding catcher in KBO history.

Choi Hyung-woo, selected by Samsung in the 2nd round, 6th overall pick (48th overall) in the 2002 draft, played only six games professionally due to defensive weaknesses and other issues before experiencing the pain of release in 2005. He too joined the police baseball team, showed steep growth, rejoined Samsung in 2008, won Rookie of the Year, and has since become a legendary hitter who continues to break various KBO batting records.

There are also players who were not selected by professional teams but nurtured their dreams in independent leagues or universities before stepping onto the professional stage through chance opportunities. These players made their presence known through baseball variety programs 'Strongest Baseball' and 'Bulkkot Baseball' before achieving their dreams. Hwang Young-mok (Hanwha), Jung Hyun-soo, and Park Chan-hyung (both Lotte) are now playing key roles for their respective teams.

This also highlights the limitations of the rookie draft. It is difficult to thoroughly scout all high school players nationwide, and since many players are still in their growth phase, there are aspects where their potential cannot be accurately measured. Some find a more suitable position or mechanism later in their careers, showing steep growth and blooming late.

Of course, it is true that upper-round selections receive more opportunities than lower-round picks or development players and are placed on a neatly packaged road toward success. However, nothing is guaranteed. The examples of seniors show that even players selected in lower rounds or those who were not selected at all should not feel as though the world has collapsed.

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*This content was translated by AI.