Kia passes on ‘national team duo’ for 189 cm raw arm... Will their Kim Hyun-soo bet hit the jackpot in camp?

At the 2026 rookie draft, the faces of the Kia Tigers scouting staff were more serious than ever. In December 2024, they had traded away their first- and fourth-round picks to the Kiwoom Heroes in the deal for Cho Sang-woo. Their first chance would not come until the 20th overall pick, after waiting through 19 selections. For Kia, that second-round pick effectively carried the weight of a first-rounder. Many observers even questioned whether it was worth predicting who Kia might take, given how marginalized the club seemed in this year’s draft.
As Kia’s turn in the fateful second round approached, the draft room began to buzz. Two pitchers from the youth national team, both viewed as players who could help immediately, were still on the board.
They were Lee Tae-yang of Incheon High School and Park Ji-sung of Seoul High School. Lee is not especially big physically, but he knows how to compete with hitters on the mound. With a clean delivery and stable command, he was considered a low-risk arm. Park Ji-sung of Seoul High was also an appealing option. Nicknamed a "master of the changeup," he has a nearly perfect pitch tunnel between his four-seam fastball and changeup, leading scouts to believe he could contribute in the pros right away. His height is solid, his velocity was trending up, and in terms of pure command, he ranked near the top among high school pitchers.

General manager Sim Jae-hak and the head of scouting even flew to Taiwan before the draft to watch the youth national team in person. For a club without a first-round pick, traveling to see a roster loaded with top-of-the-board talent could have seemed inefficient. But Kia was determined to put in the legwork to find a truly "sure thing."
Kia’s actual choice, however, was a surprise. The club passed on both of the proven "national team duo"—Lee Tae-yang and Park Ji-sung. Instead, they called the name of local product Kim Hyun-soo, a right-hander from Naju Gwangnam High School. It was a bold decision by scouting chief Kim Sung-ho, who explained, "We prioritized ceiling over safety."
That aggressive bet is already flashing early signs of success at the team’s camp on Amami Oshima Island in Japan. Among the rookies, only Kim Hyun-soo and third-rounder Kim Min-gyu have been invited to work out with the first team.
Kim’s biggest asset is his sturdy 189-centimeter, 97-kilogram frame. He converted to pitching only after entering high school, so his arm is still fresh, and he also has good flexibility. According to an analysis the Kia Tigers data team commissioned from U.S.-based Tread Athletics, "in terms of pure upside, he ranks ahead of his fellow draftees."
The on-site evaluations have been glowing as well. Manager Lee Bum-ho and general manager Sim Jae-hak have been watching Kim’s bullpen sessions and offering steady praise. What really stands out is his signature pitch, the sweeper. Remarkably, Kim says he taught himself the pitch by studying video of Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On draft day, some questioned Kia’s decision. The criticism was, "Why take a risk when there are polished pitchers available?" But as camp reaches its midpoint, those question marks are gradually turning into exclamation points.
To avoid the common rookie pitfall of overexerting himself and getting hurt, Kim Hyun-soo is carefully ramping up under the coaching staff’s guidance, building his workload step by step.
Kia is already thrilled with third-round pick Kim Min-gyu. Manager Lee Bum-ho said, "As a rookie, he’s a better hitter than Kim Ho-ryeong was. His defense and baserunning go without saying." If things break right, Kim Min-gyu could even open the season on the first team as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch-runner. And now, Kim Hyun-soo has also caught Lee Bum-ho’s eye.
Kia may not have had a first-round pick, but the club is confident it unearthed a raw gem with first-round-level upside in the second round. Instead of the safe "national team duo," they chose local boy Kim Hyun-soo. How much energy he can inject into the Tigers’ pitching staff in the 2026 season will determine whether Kia’s high-risk, high-reward strategy reaches a happy ending.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter