Who the hell is NC picking? I'm very satisfied with the start of the 1R upheaval
Sep 17, 2025
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The 2026 KBO Rookie Draft held at Lotte Hotel World Crystal Ballroom in Seoul on the 17th. Ahead of the draft, all clubs paid attention to NC's choice.
This draft was unpredictable. Gwangju Il High School Kim Sung-joon and Jangchung High School Moon Jae-joon signed with the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively, and Cheonan Bukil High School Park Joon-hyun, who remained among the Big 3, seemed likely to go to the Kiwoom Heroes, the No. 1 overall.
The key was that it was difficult to predict which player NC, which has the second overall nomination right, would choose. Considering the draft trend, which has many right-handed pitchers, including Yang Woo-jin of Gyeonggi Air High School, who was originally one of the first candidates, there were also opinions that he would choose one of the pitchers. Surprisingly, however, there were also predictions that the Beast would be nominated.
NC's choice was under final discussion until the morning of the 17th, the day of the draft. From NC's point of view, it was also necessary to consider the possibility that Kiwoom's choice to nominate the first place might change. He also continued to discuss making the best choice between pitchers and fielders. Head coach Lee Ho-joon and other officials were also only guessing what choice they would make until the end.
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As a result, much attention was paid to NC's choice except Kiwoom. This is because the choice of subordinated teams can be completely different depending on which player NC takes first. NC's choice is Yoo Shin-jae, a new infielder. It was an unexpected choice. Shin Jae-in was also a strong candidate in the first round, but was initially expected to be third to fourth, but NC chose the fielder's biggest fish, not the pitcher.
When NC chose Shin Jae-in, the next-ranked Hanwha Eagles also made an unusual choice. Yoo Shin-go outfielder Oh Jae-won was named. Each club's table became busy with the choice of NC and Hanwha, and two of the biggest fish fielders were called first, and the strategy was revised. In particular, Yang Woo-jin, who was originally considered the first and second candidates, was one of the unexpected events that he was nominated by the LG Twins until the eighth order in the first round.
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After completing the draft, NC's general manager Lim Sun-nam said, `The first principle of our club's draft is to select the best player among the remaining players rather than position allocation. I selected the best fielders among this year's nominees in the first and second rounds and I am satisfied with the nomination of two main pitchers for the youth national team in the third round. It was a well-balanced designation overall because it was possible to select six youth representatives and the best right-hander and left-hander among university players"I gave a satisfactory evaluation.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
