Kim Yoo-Sung’s Early Draft Signal, College Baseball’s Top 5 Tool Players Also Challenge…”The Next Jung Soo-Bin & Hae-Min Park”

A five-tool player, top college infielder Yoo Jung-taek (Korea University 2) will enter the 2024 KBO First-Year Player Draft as an early pick.

Competing with high school teammates Kim Do-young of the Kia Tigers and Han Tae-yang of the Lotte Giants for the top infield spot in high school, Yoo was already a well-known player in the Seoul area, having established himself as a starter as a freshman at baseball’s prestigious Deoksugo High School, according to the Korea Youth Baseball Organization.

In 23 games as a high school senior, Yoo batted 3-for-32 with 16 RBIs, 16 doubles, and 33 runs scored, and he has one of the fastest high school baserunning speeds in the country at 3.6 seconds to first base. He’s also a versatile outfielder with a .485 on-base percentage, .634 slugging percentage, and 1.119 OPS.

He has the fundamentals and athleticism to play any position other than catcher. As a high school freshman, he made waves at the 47th Bonghwangdae National High School Baseball Tournament with a 125-meter home run that hit the top of the right field net at Shinwol Baseball Stadium. 토토사이트

Courtesy of the Korea Youth Baseball Organization

A consistent first baseman and center fielder since his freshman year of college, Yoo is batting 3-for-8 with 18 RBIs and an OPS of 1,097 this year. He is characterized by his accuracy and long ball power.

Yoo proved to be a key part of KU’s offense at the 78th National Collegiate Baseball Championship, where he finished third in the tournament with a 4-for-6, 7 RBI performance. Starting at the top of the order in all but the first game against Yeouido University, Yoo’s high batting average, five RBIs, and .480 on-base percentage helped KU win its first title in 11 years.

Courtesy of the Korea Youth Baseball Organization

“It’s unfortunate that he didn’t get the nomination because of his high school performance. He’s a player we’re keeping an eye on. This year, there is a shortage of outstanding outfielders, so I think he will get more attention even though he is a college player. He’s undersized, but he has quick feet, an accurate leadoff hitter, and long power. He’s got good power for his size, and he’s got a good ability to gather and deliver power to the bat. His best asset is his quick feet.”

Lee Sang-geun, president of the Korea Youth Baseball Federation, who has been watching Yoo since he was in the fifth grade, said, “His athleticism is second to none. It’s really strange that he wasn’t nominated in high school. He has all the qualities to become the next Jung Soo-bin or Park Hae-min. His concentration on baseball is second to none, and he also has a badass grit. I hope that more players like Yoo Jung-taek will become better.”