Why did KT choose Park Ji-hoon instead of Yang Woo-jin

Sep 18, 2025

Why did KT choose Park Ji-hoon instead of Yang Woo-jin
2026 KBO rookie draft was held at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 17th. Former high school student Park Ji-hoon, who was nominated by KT in the first round, is giving his feelings. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.17/



"We didn't shake our plan."

Why didn't KT Wiz choose a big prospect who throws fastballs over 150 kilometers away.

KT selected a total of 11 new family members in the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft held on the 17th. Starting with first-round pitcher Park Ji-hoon, six pitchers, four infielders, and one outfielder were selected. The infielders in the first round were selected intensively, and the pitchers were concentrated in the second half. Because of team reality. KT is a team that requires a generational change due to the age of key infielders such as Hwang Jae-kyun, Huh Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo. Among them, Lim Sang-woo in the fourth round is a former baseball entertainment star who received attention.




Still, the flower of the draft is the first round. KT, which has the sixth overall nomination right, called Park Ji-hoon, a high school pitcher. KT introduced Park Ji-hoon as 「Fireballer who uses a stable pitching mechanism and balance to make fastballs in the mid-to-late 140km」.

Why did KT choose Park Ji-hoon instead of Yang Woo-jin
2026 KBO rookie draft was held at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 17th. Former high school student Park Ji-hoon, who was nominated by KT in the first round, is taking a commemorative photo. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.17/
It's not an unexpected designation. Park Ji-hoon was consistently introduced as a candidate for the first round ahead of the draft. However, KT's nomination of Park Ji-hoon became a hot topic because he skipped Yang Woo-jin, who was once mentioned as the No. 1 overall candidate.

Yang Woo-jin, the top high school fireballer, has emerged as the No. 1 overall candidate in the selection of Park Joon-hyun, Kim Sung-joon, and Seo Moon-joon, who said they were going to the U.S. Major League. However, Park Joon-hyun chose the KBO League and was considered the second leading candidate.




However, ahead of the draft, the fracture of elbow fatigue was known, and the NC Dinos and Hanwha Eagles, ranked second and third, picked Shin Jae-in and Oh Jae-won, the fielders of Yushin High School.

Why did KT choose Park Ji-hoon instead of Yang Woo-jin
2026 KBO rookie draft was held at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 17th. Yang Woo-jin of Gyeonggi Air High School, who was nominated by LG in the first round, is giving his feelings. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.17/
It was those back-ranked teams that had a headache. He was paying keen attention to whether Yang Woo-jin would come over or not, and he had to think a lot about whether he should pick it or not when their turn came. KT also took the opportunity. But the choice was Park Ji-hoon. Yang Woo-jin was taken by the eighth-ranked LG Twins.

A KT official said "It's not that we didn't check Yang Woo-jin either, and it's true that we had to worry about Yang Woo-jin when he wasn't selected in front of us."But the conclusion was that we should go with what we prepared." he said. Assuming that Yang Woo-jin is selected in front of him, KT has set a plan to select Park Ji-hoon if Shin Jae-in or Oh Jae-won as the top priority and if these players do not come out. There was a variable for Yang Woo-jin, but he chose Ahn Jung-seok over injury concerns.




KT released Han in the second round after failing to select Yushin fielders. He selected shortstop Lee Kang-min from the same school. KT is a professional shortstop with three beats of offense and defense. The player who will center the team's center line…" he said.

Why did KT choose Park Ji-hoon instead of Yang Woo-jin
Photo courtesy=KT 위즈
Meanwhile, KT's senior players gave meaningful gifts to new players. Captain Jang Sung-woo delivered a signed ball to Park Ji-hoon in the first round. Other players also received sign balls with direct messages from Ko Young-pyo, So Hyung-joon, Hwang Jack-gyun and Kang Baek-ho. Jang wrote to Park Ji-hoon 'Welcome to KBO's best team KT Wiz'

Park Ji-hoon said, "After receiving a supporting gift from captain Jang Sung-woo, I am excited to think about whether I should prepare such a gift when I become a senior, and I also realize that I was nominated by KT. I really want to be a player who can contribute to KT" expressed a bold determination.

Park Chang-seok, Park Ji-hoon's father, also said, `When Ji-hoon is greeted by Jang Sung-woo, a famous master who has only been seen on TV, it feels good as if he is floating on a cloud. I hope Jihoon becomes a helpful player in KT."



김용 기자 awesome@sportschosun.com



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.