(LEAD) Son of ex-All-Star selected 1st overall at KBO draft
SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- High school pitcher Park Jun-hyun, son of former star third baseman Park Sok-min, went first overall at the annual South Korean baseball draft Wednesday.
The junior Park, a senior pitcher for Bugil High School in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, went to the Kiwoom Heroes with the first pick at the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft.
The 18-year-old right-hander has pitched to a 2.63 ERA in 40 2/3 innings this season, with 54 strikeouts against 14 walks and a 2-1 record. Park has touched 157 kph with his fastball.
His father played 20 seasons in the KBO from 2004 to 2023. He won five Korean Series titles with the Samsung Lions -- 2005 and then from 2011 to 2014 -- and added his sixth ring with the NC Dinos in 2020. Widely regarded as one of the finest third basemen of his generation, Park won the Golden Glove awards at the hot corner in 2014 and 2015. He finished with 269 home runs, 1,041 RBIs and a .287/.402/.491 line in 1,697 games.
Earlier this year, a media report alleged Park Jun-hyun of bullying his teammates in high school. He has been cleared by the regional education office due to a lack of evidence, and the Heroes said they had no qualms about drafting the pitcher because the accusations against him had not been substantiated.
The Heroes also believed that if Park had concerns about his past, he would have skipped the KBO draft and accepted an apparent offer from the Athletics in Major League Baseball.
When entering the draft here, Park also signed a form declaring that he had not committed any wrongdoing at school.
With two other top pitching prospects, Kim Seong-jun and Moon Seo-jun, having signed with the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays, respectively, Park was a no-brainer top pick.
Park will wear No. 18, the same number that his father used during his KBO career.
"I started going to KBO games from an early age to see my dad play, and I picked up the sport because I had so much fun playing it in my neighborhood," the teenager said. "From the beginning, my goal was to go first overall at the draft. I am happy that my hard work over the past three years in high school has paid off."
Asked about his goal as a professional player, Park said, "As important as baseball is, I will try to become a good person first."
Park said he decided to stay home even after his two rivals, Kim and Moon, went overseas, because he felt he still had more to learn here.
"I felt it wouldn't be too late if I first gain some experience in the KBO," Park added.
Park's role model happens to be Heroes ace An Woo-jin, who owns the league record for most strikeouts by a Korean-born pitcher in a season with 224.
"He is a perfect pitcher and I want to learn everything from him," Park added.
Addressing his bullying charges, Park said, "I didn't pay too much attention to them because I am clean."
The selection order was determined by the reverse order of finish from the 2024 regular season.
With the second pick, the NC Dinos chose infielder Shin Jae-in from Yushin High School. Considered the top hitting prospect in this year's class, the third baseman has batted .337 in 26 games this year with four homers, 30 RBIs and 13 steals. He has drawn 18 walks and struck out only 10 times in 122 plate appearances.
Shin's high school teammate, center fielder Oh Jae-won, went to the Hanwha Eagles as the No. 3 pick. The speedster has swiped 32 bags in 26 games this year while batting .442 with 19 walks against eight strikeouts.
Dongsan High School pitcher Shin Dong-kun was selected fourth overall by the Lotte Giants, and Daegu High School pitcher Kim Min-jun went to the SSG Landers with the fifth pick.
The KT Wiz drafted Jeonju High School pitcher Park Ji-hun with the sixth pick, and then the Doosan Bears selected Masan Yongma High School outfielder Kim Ju-oh with the seventh pick.
Gyeonggi Aviation High School pitcher Yang Woo-jin was drafted by the LG Twins at No. 8, and Seoul High School right-hander Lee Ho-beom went to the Samsung Lions with the ninth pick.
The Kia Tigers, as the top regular-season club last year, had traded their first-round pick to the Heroes in exchange for reliever Cho Sang-woo in December last year. With their second choice in the first round, the Heroes drafted Jeonju High School infielder Park Han-gyeol to round out the top 10.
A record four position players were selected in the first round.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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