Among rookie pitchers this season, Moon Dong-ju (20) of the Hanwha Eagles and Young-cheol Yoon (19) of the KIA Tigers caught attention, and among fielders, Hanwha Moon Hyun-bin (19) and Lotte Giants Kim Min-seok (19) attracted attention.
Moon Dong-ju, who joined Hanwha as a first-round pick in 2022, is considered a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year this season. He debuted last year, but his pitching innings fell short of 30 innings (28⅔ innings), so he qualified for this year's Rookie of the Year award. His performance last season was 13 games, 1 win, 3 losses, 2 holds, and an earned run average of only 5.65.
Dong-ju Moon, who played as a last-minute starting pitcher last year and has adapted to the professional stage, has grown into a key starting pitcher on the team this year. Unlike last year, he showed improved control and reached the highest level in the KBO league. He used a combination of curves, sliders, and changeups along with a fastball with an average speed exceeding 150 km
This season, Moon Dong-ju appeared in 23 games, pitched 118⅔ innings, and achieved excellent results with 8 wins, 8 losses, 95 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.72. He also achieved quality starts (6 or more innings and 3 or fewer earned runs as a starter) seven times, showing the potential to develop into an innings eater. He has the highest WAR (Wins Above Replacement Contribution) among rookie pitchers at 2.54.
Although he had to be satisfied with 8 wins this season due to participation in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and limited innings, he showed off enough skills to aim for 10 wins next season.
Yoon Young-cheol, who joined KIA as the second overall pick in the first round of the 2023 rookie draft, also successfully completed his first year of debut. He appeared in 25 games this year, pitched 122⅔ innings, and completed the 5th starting role with 8 wins, 7 losses, and an ERA of 4.04.
In partiular, in the game against the Samsung Lions on the 8th, which was his last appearance of the season, he had a great performance, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 1 run in 6 innings. He made seven quality starts this year.
Although he is not the type to overpower batters with a powerful pitch, he played the game with precise control and a variety of breaking balls. He is also excellent at controlling breaking balls such as sliders and changeups. As his experience accumulates, it is expected that his speed will increase and his control will improve.
Utility fielder Moon Hyun-bin, who was selected by Hanwha with the 11th pick in the second round of the rookie draft, played in 137 games, the most among rookie players this season, revitalizing the team's offense and defense. His performance was respectable, with a batting average of 0.266, 5 home runs, 114 hits, 49 RBI, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.686. He surpassed 100 hits in his first year as a professional, making him the 7th high school rookie to hit 100 hits in KBO League history.
Moon Hyun-bin especially showed off his hot batting skills in October. In 12 games, he batted .419 with 1 home run, 8 RBIs, and a 1.001 slugger. He brightened his prospects for next season, hitting a total of six multi-hit games.
He played a variety of positions not only in batting but also in defense, contributing to the team's field management. He mainly played center field in the first half of the season, and played second base and defense in the second half. In addition, he played shortstop and third base defense, playing all infield positions except first base.
Outfielder Kim Min-seok, who was selected by Lotte with the third overall pick in the first round in this year's rookie draft, also showed his presence in his first year as a professional. He finished the season with a batting average of 0.255 in 129 games, 3 home runs, 102 hits, 39 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.652.
High school rookie Kim Min-seok also surpassed 100 hits (the 8th in KBO league history) in his debut season, and enjoyed the honor of being selected to the All-Star Best 12 for the 4th time in history as a high school rookie.
Lee Jeong-hoo of Kiwoom Heroes, who graduated from Whimoon High School like Min-seok Kim and is six years his senior, highly evaluated his qualifications, saying, "I thought he would do well. He would do better than me.