Players from Busan High School and Gyeongnam High School, who were recognized for their baseball skills by many baseball fans through an entertainment baseball program on a general programming channel, entered the Korean Professional Baseball (KBO) league stage. Jeong Hyun-soo (22, Songwon University), a graduate of Busan High School, and Ko Young-woo (22, Sungkyunkwan University), a Gyeongnam High School graduate, are expected to immediately play an active role in the KBO league based on their outstanding skills.안전놀이터
Hyunsoo Jeong and Youngwoo Ko were nominated by a KBO League team in the 2024 KBO League Rookie Draft held on the 14th and succeeded in advancing to the professional ranks. Hyunsoo Jeong was selected by the Lotte Giants with the 13th overall pick in the second round. Ko Young-woo joined Kiwoom Heroes in the 4th round, 39th overall.
Jeong Hyun-soo and Ko Young-woo received great attention from scouts from 10 KBO league teams by performing well in the general programming channel JTBC’s entertainment program ‘The Strongest Baseball’, and successfully entered the KBO league.
Jeong Hyun-soo went through Busan Daeyeon Elementary School, Busan Middle School, and Busan High School and gained baseball experience at Songwon University. Hyunsoo Jeong has the ability to throw a variety of pitches, including a fastball that can exceed 145 km/h, a curveball with a large drop, a changeup, and a cutter. Hyun-soo Jeong showed off his outstanding performance in the Korea University Sports Council (KUSF) U-League this season with 4 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 2.09. Hyunsoo Jeong received the Glorious Contribution Award at the National University Baseball Championship last season.
It is expected that Jung Hyun-soo will be able to be immediately deployed as a full-force player, making up for the lack of left-handed pitchers in Lotte.
Ko Young-woo is also evaluated as a player with excellent hitting and defensive abilities. Ko Young-woo played an active part as a starting infielder at Sungkyunkwan University after attending Busan Daeyeon Elementary School, Daedong Middle School, and Gyeongnam High School. Ko Young-woo won the batting award in the KUSF U-League last year and has excellent hitting ability.
In 15 games this season, Ko Young-woo had a batting average of 0.360 (18 hits in 50 at-bats), 3 home runs, 24 RBIs, 10 runs, a slugging percentage of 0.640, an on-base percentage of 0.467, and an OPS (slugging percentage + on-base percentage) of 1.107. Ko Young-woo also played an active role in defense as the team’s starting third baseman, demonstrating water-tight defense and supporting the team’s performance on the national stage.