From Ha Hyun-seung and Lee Ho-min to Park Geun-seo and Kim Min-hoon... Korea's baseball future will be honored at today's (the 26th) awards ceremony [2026 Futures Star Awards]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The '2026 Futures Star Awards,' a festival celebrating the promising talents who will lead the future of Korean sports, is set to open in grand style. Ha Hyun-seung (18, Busan High School, Kiwoom Heroes), an elite two-way player who dominated the high school stage, and Lee Ho-min (18, Gyeongnam High School, KIA Tigers), a power-hitting infielder, along with other top prospects on the verge of entering the professional ranks, are expected to shine on the awards ceremony stage.

The '2026 Futures Star Awards' (hosted and organized by StarNews, sponsored by the Korea Sports & Olympic Committee, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Baseball & Softball Association, Korea Basketball Association, Korea Volleyball Association, and Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd.) ceremony, now in its fifth year, will be held grandly at 3 p.m. on the 26th in the press conference room on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. The results for the prestigious Choi Jong (수상) in each category will be announced during the main ceremony that day.

Ha Hyun-seung is considered the top candidate for the Grand Prize in the baseball category, drawing the most attention. Ha delivered a phenomenal performance on the high school stage this year, excelling both on the mound and at the plate. On the pitcher's mound, he appeared in 14 games, posting an overwhelming record of four wins, no losses, and an ERA of 0.39. Over 45⅔ innings pitched, he allowed only 11 walks while striking out a whopping 77 batters. At the plate, he played in 24 games, slashing .383 (31 hits in 81 at-bats from 104 plate appearances) with three home runs, 21 RBIs, and 14 walks, marking an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.088.

The selection committee highly evaluated Ha, describing him as a "two-way player who can contribute immediately to the lineup, possessing excellent physical attributes and good athletic ability." They noted that his "strongest asset is his powerful pitching command, led by fastballs exceeding 150 km/h. He has a good feel for pitching, with stable control of breaking balls, and possesses the ability to sufficiently handle innings as a starting pitcher based on high command and the refinement of his breaking pitches." Ha boasts a fastball reaching a top speed of 153 km/h and historic slider movement, while also consistently throwing a changeup.

The committee did not overlook Ha's potential as a hitter either. They praised him, stating he "boasts strong contact production ability based on excellent punching power and fast bat speed. He is also excellent at handling breaking balls, with few whiffs," adding that he "has already proven his beyond-high-school-level skills by delivering a perfect game at the U-18 Asia Youth Championship."

The presence of elite infielder Lee Ho-min stands out prominently. Lee played in 20 games this year, delivering a stellar performance with a .420 batting average (29 hits in 86 at-bats), two home runs, 19 RBIs, and eight walks, along with an OPS of 1.132.

The selection committee praised Lee, calling him an "immediately contributing infielder whose power production stands out, based on a stable hitting mechanism, strong impact, and excellent punching power." They added that he "possesses basic fielding ability, and if his throwing accuracy improves in the future, he has the potential to explode with very high potential on both offense and defense."

They further explained that he is "a corner infielder prospect with power who has hit eight career home runs in high school. He possesses the spray-hitter trait of being able to send quality contact to the center as well as the right side, along with excellent hitting potential, making him a resource capable of leaping to a starting role." They noted that he "clearly impressed everyone with his exceptional hitting talent by activating his home run power at the U-18 Asia Youth Championship."

Other raw gems knocking on the door of the professional stage have also entered the awards race. Regarding Park Geun-seo (Seoul Design High School), who joined the Lotte Giants, the selection committee praised him, stating that "his strengths are a fast arm swing and release impact based on his tall stature and good physical attributes, with standout competitiveness in his fastball utilizing pitching angle and aggressive pitching ability." They added that he "has the potential to grow into an even higher-level pitcher if he supplements the refinement of his breaking balls and his ability to maintain command and control."

Kim Min-hoon, a pitcher from Gwangju Jinhung High School who will wear the Samsung Lions uniform, is also drawing attention as a Kang Ryeok-han (수상) candidate. The selection committee conveyed that Kim is "a starting pitcher resource with good command based on excellent physical strength and rotational power." They noted that he "is evaluated as an immediately contributing pitcher who possesses both fastball and breaking ball competitiveness, with excellent breaking ball refinement and pitching feel, allowing him to utilize various locations against left- and right-handed batters."

Meanwhile, at this ceremony, the Grand Prize winner will receive a prize of 3 million won, Star Award recipients will receive vouchers for sports goods and carrier sets, and Future Star Award recipients will receive sports goods vouchers. The final honor that top prospects such as Ha Hyun-seung, Lee Ho-min, Park Geun-seo, and Kim Min-hoon will embrace will be officially determined at the Press Center awards ceremony on the 26th.

■ Date/Time: 3 p.m., Monday, October 26, 2026

■ Location: Press Conference Room, 19th Floor, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong University-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul)

■ Recipients: Baseball/Soccer/Volleyball/Basketball/Golf/Skateboarding/Artistic Gymnastics, a total of 10 people across 7 sports (2 Grand Prize, 6 Star Awards, 2 Future Star Awards)

■ Selection Committee Members

Former National Team Manager Kim In-sik (Seon Jeong-wi (Director)), Cha Myung-ju, Competition Gi Ryeok-hyang-sang (Chairman) of the Korea Baseball & Softball Association (KBSA), Jung Min-hyuk, Head of the Hanwha Eagles Scouting Team, Kwon Do-young, Section Chief of the Kiwoom Heroes Scouting Team

Han Jun-hee, Commentator for Coupang Play, Son Seung-jun, Full-time Instructor for the Korea Football Association, Kwon Oh-gyu, Technical Director of Bucheon FC, Jung Jae-yoon, Scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai

■ Host/Organizer: StarNews

■ Sponsors: Korea Sports & Olympic Committee, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Baseball & Softball Association, Korea Basketball Association, Korea Volleyball Association, Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., Palseok Mijin

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original