‘Should I be nervous about Jeong Eun-won, Moon Hyun-bin, and Lee Do-yoon’ Immediate power rookie infielders are coming, why Hanwha drafted two of them
The Hanwha Eagles have gotten a lot of attention for selecting a lot of infielders in addition to collecting lefties. They selected back-to-back infielders in the third and fourth rounds.
Hanwha selected Whimun Go infielder Jung Ahn-seok with the 21st overall pick in the third round and Yeoncheon Miracle infielder Hwang Young-mook with the 31st overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft on Thursday at the Westin Chosun Hotel Grand Ballroom in Seoul.
After scooping up Jang Chung-go left-handers Hwang Jun-seo and Cho Dong-wook in the first and second rounds, Hanwha immediately turned to the infield.
They selected Jung Ahn-seok and Hwang Young-mook.
Jung hit .298 (14-for-47) with seven RBIs and an OPS of .828 in 14 high school games this year. On the youth national team, he played second base in addition to being a table setter and helped the team win the bronze medal.
Many baseball fans are familiar with Hwang Young-mook. He made a name for himself on JTBC’s baseball program Choi Gang Baseball.
After graduating from Anyang Chunghun High School, he enrolled in Chung-Ang University but dropped out and has been playing in the independent league since 2019. He played in the independent league for over three years with the Seongnam Blue Panthers, Scoreborn Hyenas, and the Yeoncheon Miracle. After four years of waiting, he finally made it to the pros.
One of his biggest advantages is that he is a military infielder.
Looking at the current Hanwha roster, there is no shortage of infielders. Especially at second base, where they have Jung Eun-won and this year’s rookie Moon Hyun-bin. This makes the pick all the more surprising.
“Ahn-seok Jung can play both infield and outfield,” said manager Son Hyuk after the draft. His feet are fast and his motor skills are good,” he said. Scouting team leader Jung Min-hyuk said, “His defense and throwing ability are both good. He also showed a lot of grit.”
This is similar to the role Moon Hyun-bin played this season. Although his main position was second base, former manager Carlos Suvero experimented with him in the middle infield, and he showed promise. As a result, he played 519 innings in center field while Jung Eun-won played second base. However, he still hasn’t gotten used to the position and has made some defensive errors, so he’s been playing second base in the second half of the season.
The same goes for Hwang Young-mook’s main position, shortstop. Lee Do-yoon has established himself this season, and Lee Min-joon has emerged as a promising prospect. There is also veteran Oh Sun-jin, and the second team has Ha Joo-seok, Park Jung-hyun, and other players waiting in the wings.
“Hwang Young-mook is the type of player who can go straight into the game,” said Son Hyuk. He’s close to the first team, so we picked him quickly.” 바카라
Hanwha made its nominations with a view to the present and the future. Chung Eun-won has to deal with military service, and Noh Si-hwan is not yet free of military service. The Hangzhou Asian Games are the key.
“Some players are in the army, and some players need to go to the army,” said Son Hyuk. We don’t want them to be stagnant. We need to rotate them.”
Commentator Park Yong-taek nodded in agreement with Hanwha’s nominations of Jung Ahn-seok and Hwang Young-mook. He was familiar with Hwang Young-mook and had been keeping an eye on Jung Ahn-seok since he was a junior in the program.
Park said, “Hwang Young-mook can play any position in the infield. His defense is stable. His batting is not bad either. He has the skills to compete with the first team players. He can compete with Moon Hyun-bin. I think we can have a good competition,” he chuckled.
“I was surprised to see him bat, so I asked the coaches, ‘Is he good with the bat?’ And they said yes. They assured me that if we train him, he’ll do well.”