The 2024 KBO Rookie Draft has concluded with a total of 110 selections in 11 rounds. The most highly anticipated pick, the No. 1 overall pick, went to Jangchung High pitcher Hwang Jun-seo. The second overall pick went to Incheon High pitcher Kim Taek-yeon.
The 2024 KBO Rookie Draft was held on September 14 at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Sogong, Seoul. A total of 1,083 players participated in the draft, including 782 high school graduates, 296 college graduates (including 41 early draft picks), and five other players, including overseas amateurs and professionals.
The 2024 KBO Rookie Draft was conducted as an open-ended draft. Designations will be made in rounds 1 through 11, in the reverse order of the 2023 team standings: Hanwha-Dusan-Lotte-Samsung-NC-KIA-KT-LG-KEUM-SSG. In addition, sophomore players from four-year (including three-year) universities are eligible to participate in the draft through the Early Draft System, which was implemented last year.
Kiwoom, which acquired the pick in a previous trade, exercised its first-, second-, and third-round picks held by LG, KIA, and Samsung, respectively, and NC exercised its seventh-round pick held by Hanwha, in accordance with the rules that allow teams to trade the following year’s pick for a player.
General managers, scouts, and officials from all 10 KBO clubs gathered at the draft site, and the targeted players were also invited to attend the event.
The most notable first-round picks of the day began with the No. 1 overall pick, Hanwha. Hanwha selected Jang Chung-go pitcher Hwang Jun-seo, the top left-hander in the draft, to fill the team’s need for left-handed reinforcements. Hanwha general manager Son Hyuk said, “He was a pitcher that the scouts recommended all year. I think he’s a pitcher that everyone here wants, and the more we look at the future, the more we want him.”
Doosan, ranked second overall, naturally chose Incheon High pitcher Kim Taek-yeon, who is considered a “top two” pitcher alongside Hwang Jun-seo. Doosan general manager Kim Tae-ryong said, “We’ve been following several players since spring, and Kim has shown consistency from spring to the youth national team. He was injury-free, had good control, and maintained his fastball. We believe he will grow into a stopper in the next two to three years, so we selected him.”
Lotte, ranked third overall, selected Jeon Mir, a pitcher from Gyeongbuk High School with plenty of “two-hit” potential, while Samsung, ranked fourth overall, selected right-handed fireballer Yuk Sun-yup from Jangchung High School. Fifth-ranked NC also selected right-handed fireballer Kim Hwi-geon from Whimun High School, while sixth-ranked KIA selected long right-handed prospect Cho Dae-hyun from Gangneung High School.
Seventh overall, KT selected Busan High right-hander Won Sang-hyun, while Kiwoom, who held the eighth and ninth overall picks via a draft rights trade with LG, selected Seoul High pitcher Jeon Jun-pyo and Jangchung High pitcher Kim Yoon-ha, respectively.
The only other first-round selection came from SSG at No. 10 overall. SSG selected SeAd infielder Park Ji-hwan to round out their first-round selections.토토사이트
In the second round, Hanwha selected Jangchung High pitcher Cho Dong-wook and Doosan selected Seoul High infielder Yeo Dong-gun. Lotte selected Jung Hyun-soo, a pitcher from Busan High School-Songwon University. Kiwoom, who also had two picks in the second round, selected Seongnam High infielder Lee Jae-sang and Jeonju University pitcher Son Hyun-ki. SSG called up Whimun Go outfielder Lee Seung-min, the son of coach Lee Byung-kyu (Samsung).
Gyeonggi High catcher Lee Sang-joon, who was rated as the top high school catcher this year, fulfilled his dream of joining the pros with a third-round pick from KIA. Yeoncheon Miracle infielder Hwang Young-mook and Paju Challengers pitcher Jin Woo-young, who play for independent clubs, will wear Hanwha and LG uniforms, respectively.
All 10 KBO clubs drafted a total of 110 players without a pass in the 11th round to conclude the rookie draft event.