I’m not talking about Moon Dong-ju and Noh Si-hwan. They are not the future. This is the present moment of Hanwha Eagles. The newcomers who are opening the future of the Hanwha Eagles are other players. It’s Choi In-ho and Moon Hyun-bin.
Choi In-ho is the most brilliant player so far in the final three home games against Lotte.
Choi In-ho is the player who is most disappointed that the season will end as it is. Choi shot 4 for 5 in the Oct. 14 game, and 2 for 5 in the Oct. 15 game. He hit as many as six hits in two days, completely eliminating the Hanwha Eagles’ top hitter concerns. Hanwha’s top hitter position has been passed by many players. Moon Hyun-bin came forward, Lee Jin-young went in, and Jung Eun-won went in. However, it seems to be fixed as Choi In-ho to some extent now.
Choi In-ho is a player who was ambitiously nominated by Hanwha manager Lee Sang-gun when he was the scout team leader, saying, “I picked him after seeing only one hit.” At that time, high school baseball was the heyday of Pocheol High School, and Choi In-ho led the semi-final myth of one-team Pocheol High School, including cycling hits in high school baseball at that time.
Choi In-ho has an on-base percentage of 0.369 and a slugging percentage of 0.429, from 138 at-bats in the second half. On top of that, the batting average in the last seven games is 0.538, leading Hanwha’s last-minute rise. He also hit two home runs and occasionally showed good defense, clearly securing a spot in Hanwha’s outfield and leadoff spots. Choi is currently aiming for his first .300 batting average since his debut. Currently, the at-bat sample is not large with 143 at-bats in 40 games, but the batting average of 0302 is also significant for his growth. This can be a great nourishment for one’s growth.
Moon Hyun-bin is a good plus player who can be cited as one of the reasons for the Hanwha Eagles’ elimination. Above all, it is tremendous that in recent professional baseball, a rookie player almost plays in the foreground as a starting second baseman. Even Kim Do-young and Lee Jae-hyun failed to do this. Above all, Moon Hyun-bin wandered around in all positions at the beginning of the season. He played the most games in center field.
It is impossible for him to become the team’s main player even after adapting so well as a center fielder who rarely stepped up and returned to second base. Above all, high school baseball players have relatively weak game stamina. This is because I have never played so many games while studying and class at the same time. However, Moon played the entire season (136 games) without any injuries. Still, I’m still upbeat. A strong body is a blessing for a baseball player and a blessing for the team.
In the 2024 Rookie Draft, Son was very satisfied with the selection of Moon Hyun-bin. He was busy praising Moon Hyun-bin, saying, “Our team’s best performance in last year’s draft.” Cho Dong-wook and Jung An-seok, who were selected in the second and third rounds this year, expressed their desire to become players like Moon Hyun-bin in the rookie draft.
Moon Hyun-bin’s current record of 0.266 with 113 hits and five home runs is a very respectable record for a high school rookie infielder. It is also the best record among pure rookie players this year. Moon Hyun-bin was active in the game on October 15 with two hits and three RBIs in three at-bats, hitting a superior two-run home run against Na Kyun-an, the national pitcher.
Hanwha was the last in four years. And if they win the match on this day, they will go up to the eighth place. First of all, I did a step up compared to last year. And regardless of the ranking, this is proving to be a winning percentage.
In order to go one step further from here, it is important for good mercenaries to come, but the step-up of Choi In-ho, Moon Hyun-bin, Heo In-seo and Lee Jin-young is very important. Now, what matters to Hanwha is not the prospect itself, but the growth of the prospect.