The LG Twins were actually a bit of an anomaly in the 2024 Rookie Draft. After acquiring Choi Won-tae at the end of July, the team gave up a first-round pick in exchange for slugger Lee Joo-hyung and pitcher Kim Dong-kyu, so they used their second-round pick in the 2024 Rookie Draft. Since the first round is the “flower” of the draft event, LG was naturally “out of the loop,” but from the second round onward, they picked players who will be the future of LG.
It was characterized by the fact that the picks were based on hitters, not pitchers. When dividing the 10 players by position, there are only 4 pitchers, 1 catcher, 3 infielders, and 2 outfielders. This seems to be a result of the fact that there are a lot of prospective pitchers available, so they focused on the outfield. In particular, all of the selected outfielders are characterized by their quick feet. This seems to be reflected in the fact that LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “When I came to the team, I didn’t have a fast hitter, so I asked the scouting team to pick a fast player this time.”
“We focused on pitchers who can immediately show a sense of power and prepare for the future with good physical condition and batters with excellent physical speed,” said LG scouting team leader Paik Baek-jin, “I think it was a satisfactory draft result as we prepared.”
LG’s first pick, with the eighth pick of the second round, was Kim Hyun-jong (1m86/85kg) from Incheon High School. He is a right-handed outfielder, not a pitcher. In 18 games in the 2023 season, he batted 4-for-1 with two doubles, three home runs, 18 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
He’s a solid middle-to-long hitter who LG says has good range, good reads on pitches, and good overall defense. LG currently has a full outfield with Kim Hyun-soo, Park Hae-min, Hong Chang-ki, and Moon Sung-joo. When asked about the selection of an outfielder, Yeom said, “Our outfield is full.” Nevertheless, the fact that he was the first to select an outfielder shows that he is a prospect with high expectations.
In the third round, they selected outfielder Son Yong-jun (1m78/85kg) from Dongwon University of Science and Technology. In 21 games in the 2023 season, he batted 4-for-4 with eight doubles, four home runs, 20 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He has good contact and power, a wide range on defense, and a quick read on pitches and start.
In the fourth round, the Royals selected Jin Woo-young (1m87/97kg), a former Kansas City Royals player who played for the Paju Challengers. He performed well in the Kansas City Rookie League, but had to return to Korea when the minor leagues were closed due to COVID-19. For the Paju Challengers, he threw a fastball that topped out at 150 mph and averaged 145 mph on his fastball. Despite the rain on the day of the tryout, he gave it his best shot and earned a spot in the LG uniform. LG said, “He is a player with excellent physical condition, good body power and elasticity. He has a stable fastball and a heavy delivery. He can play as a power middle reliever right away,” LG said.
In the fifth round, he switched back to the infield. Hongik University infielder Kim Dae-won (1m72/70kg) was selected. Despite his small frame, he has the ability to make aggressive plays with his quickness and athleticism. He makes good contact and plays solid defense. Korea University pitcher Jung Jeong-heon (1m83/85kg) was selected in the sixth round. He is a fast-pitching, aggressive pitcher with a strong fastball. He has good command of his pitches and has the ability to stay relaxed on the mound. He was the only catcher selected in the seventh round. Gwangju Il-Go’s Bae Kang (1m85/95kg) is considered an offensive catcher with good contact ability and power. He batted .266 with three home runs and 21 RBIs this year.
The first high school pitcher taken in the eighth round, Whimungo Jong-woo Kim (1m87/90kg) went 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 19⅓ innings pitched in 12 games this year. He has good size and a high release point with a good end of the ball. A left-handed pitcher in the ninth round. Inchango left-hander Kang Seok-hyun (1m85/90kg) has appeared in eight games and thrown 28 innings, but his record isn’t great with four losses and a 5.14 ERA. However, LG said, “He is a pitcher with a short arm swing and good deception. He has a good fastball and good defense and control.” 먹튀검증
In the 10th round, Yatap Go infielder Kim Do-yoon (1m80/71kg) is a three-ball infielder with good bat control, good contact ability, and power. He has good base running skills and plays aggressive baseball, which fits LG’s style.
Shim Kyu-bin (1m81/81㎏), the last pick of the 11th round, is an outfielder from Sungkyunkwan University. He has excellent contact and quick feet, and has a wide defensive range. He has good pitch recognition and strong shoulders.