The meeting between Hanwha and Oh Jae-won was inevitable because they were a team eager to trade key center field

Sep 17, 2025

The meeting between Hanwha and Oh Jae-won was inevitable because they were a team eager to trade key center field
2026 KBO rookie draft was held at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 17th. Yoo Shin-go Oh Jae-won, who was nominated by Hanwha in the first round, is taking a commemorative photo. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.17/



He found a center fielder, and he chose a surprise center fielder in the rookie draft...

The conclusion of the Hanwha Eagles was Yoo Shin-go center fielder Oh Jae-won.

Hanwha used the third-place pick in the first round to Oh Jae-won in the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft held on the 17th.




Oh Jae-won is a Yushin High School outfielder and his main position is a center fielder. He hit .442 with a on-base percentage of .546 on the high school stage this season. On top of that, there were a whopping 32 stolen bases. It was ranked as one of the best fielders in ball and field.

As you can see from the record, you can see it as a typical first hitter-style outfielder with good contact ability, quick feet, and defense.

In fact, in the first round, we usually pick pitchers. I think you can raise a fielder, but I think pitchers are determined by their ability. However, the second-ranked NC Dinos gave up all the big-time pitchers and selected Shin Jae-in, followed by Hanwha's nomination of Oh Jae-won from the third-ranked team, causing the field to tremble. This is because there were many good right-handers such as Shin Dong-gun, Kim Min-joon, Park Ji-hoon, Yang Woo-jin, and Lee Ho-beom.




The meeting between Hanwha and Oh Jae-won was inevitable because they were a team eager to trade key center field
2026 KBO rookie draft was held at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 17th. Yoo Shin-go Oh Jae-won, who was nominated by Hanwha in the first round, is speaking. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.17/
In the end, Hanwha appears to have chosen and focused. Hanwha hasn't been able to find any solid native outfield resources over the years. This year alone, head coach Kim Kyung-moon took office and intensively trained three people, Moon Hyun-bin, Lee Jin-young and Lee Won-seok, to make them first-tier players. These three were also anxious players who moved back and forth between the first and second divisions before head coach Kim came.

In particular, there was no center fielder. He couldn't develop a player with strong defense. So, when other clubs put their heart and soul into bringing in foreign hitters, Hanwha always looked for center field resources first.

This season, as they ranked first in the first half of the year and had the possibility of winning, each team actively moved behind the scenes to trade key center field players. Although it was not possible because the opposing teams wanted good young pitchers from Hanwha, Hanwha sought to trade at least four teams and there were discussions that had progressed to a large extent.




The meeting between Hanwha and Oh Jae-won was inevitable because they were a team eager to trade key center field
2026 KBO rookie draft was held at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 17th. Nominated Park Joon-hyun and Oh Jae-won are taking a commemorative photo with the president of Heo Gu-yeon. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.17/
For now, Liberato will take charge of the center field position right now this season, but the reality of Hanwha is that Liberato is also unstable in defense and in the long run, he needs to find a player who will definitely take charge of the center field position. That way, even if the defense is a little weak, players with good bats, such as Moon Hyun-bin, can be sent to the corner outfield, where the defense burden is less burdensome.

It is unreasonable to expect a high school graduate to play an active role in solving all these problems right away. However, Hanwha's future can be brighter if it gains experience and shows its potential within two to three years. It was Hanwha's No. 1 nomination with a clear purpose.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.