It was Oh Jae-won from the beginning…Hanwha's choice was firm in the second place, which was a fuss
Sep 18, 2025
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Hanwha Eagles nominated outfielder Oh Jae-won in the first round of the 2026 Rookie Draft held at Lotte Hotel World Crystal Ballroom in Seoul on the 17th.
Hanwha had the third overall nomination right. The No. 1 overall pick is Bukil High School pitcher Park Joon-hyun, who received a Major League offer. He wore a Kiwoom uniform without any unexpected incident.
What is this year's rookie draft??It was evaluated as being 'unpredictable'. Pitcher Yang Woo-jin (Gyeonggi Aviation High School), Kim Min-joon (Daegu High School), infielder Shin Jae-in (Yoo Shin-go) were mentioned as the second priority.
Still, the prevailing analysis was that the pitcher's nomination would be likely, but NC's choice was Shin Jae-in. It was a rather unexpected choice to the extent that the hall was in turmoil. Lim Sun-nam, NC Dan, selected the best fielder in the first and second rounds"Shin Jae-in explained that he is a right-handed infielder with long-shot production capabilities based on accurate contact and strong wrist strength.
Time for Hanwha to choose the third place. Hanwha called out the name of outfielder Oh Jae-won.
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Hanwha already went in thinking of calling Oh Jae-won's name in the first round. An official from Hanwha explained that "Park Joon-hyun, the first runner, is certain, and we tried to pick Oh Jae-won no matter who was selected as the second runner-up." As long as it's not 'NC Oh Jae-won'. In addition, Hanwha has been thirsty for a center field position all season. There were even talks about trade discussions on the center field resources of several clubs in the early and mid-season.
At the same time, Hanwha has drawn a blueprint for a generational change to some extent as young pitchers have clearly hit the ball recently. Young players, including Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun, Cho Dong-wook, Hwang Joon-seo, and Jung Woo-joo, have begun to take their place one by one in the first team.
However, the beast side needs a little more resources. Oh Jae-won has good skills as an outfielder to the extent that there is a saying that 'immediately feeling of power'. We have to wait a little longer to see how professional he is, but his ability and potential are said to be excellent.
Oh Jae-won said, `I actually expected the first round, but I didn't expect the third place"It's just the beginning, so I'll work harder and become a good player that fans want."He expressed his determination.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
