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Bugil High pitcher Park Jun-hyun the top prospect in upcoming KBO draft

Published: 11 Sep. 2025, 17:03 Updated: 11 Sep. 2025, 18:20

Park Jun-hyun, a right-handed senior pitcher at Bugil High School [HANWHA EAGLES]

The 2026 KBO rookie draft will take place next Wednesday, with all 10 professional baseball clubs set to select up to 110 prospects in reverse order of last season's standings. A total of 1,261 players are eligible, including 930 high school seniors, 261 college seniors, 51 early-entry college players and 19 independent applicants.

The most coveted prospect in this year’s draft is right-handed pitcher Park Jun-hyun, an 18-year-old senior at Bugil High School. The son of former Doosan Bears hitting coach and longtime KBO infielder Park Sok-min, Park Jun-hyun throws a fastball that tops out at 157 kilometers (97.6 miles) per hour. With a sharp slider and strong command, scouts say he’s talented enough to make an immediate impact at the KBO level.

Park had been strongly linked to a potential move to MLB, with reports suggesting he was close to signing with a U.S. club. However, his camp shifted its focus to the KBO in July and ultimately submitted his application to enter the draft.

“I took into account the fact that not many players have succeeded by going straight to the United States,” Park said in a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “Even though MLB clubs offered good deals, I thought it would be better to gain solid experience in Korea first before going abroad.

“Around July, my father told me, ‘It’s time to make a decision. This is your choice to make, not mine,’” he added. “After thinking it through, I decided to enter the KBO draft.”

Park Jun-hyun, a right-handed senior pitcher at Bugil High School [KO BONG-JUN]

While scouts appear unanimous about Park’s abilities, he has become a controversial figure due to allegations of school bullying. Rumors that Park harassed fellow students at Bugil High School have been circulating, as well as speculation that he hesitated to enter the draft due to KBO’s requirement for draftees to submit a pledge affirming they are not involved in school violence.

Park's last-minute decision to join the draft has now made him the talk of the town. For now, there is no legal barrier to his selection, as the Cheonan Office of Education's school violence committee cleared him of any wrongdoing. Still, concerns remain that further allegations could surface after the draft.

Kiwoom Heroes, who hold the first overall pick after finishing last in the 2025 season, are reportedly planning to select Park. The club has previous experience navigating controversy over school bullying: In 2017, the Heroes selected pitcher An Woo-jin, only for revelations about his involvement in bullying at Whimoon High School to emerge later. An was suspended for three years by the Korea Baseball Softball Association, but the Heroes did not rescind his selection.

“It’s hard for me to comment on [the school bullying allegations] right now,” Park said. “I’ll release a statement after discussing it with my family. But becoming the No. 1 overall pick has been my dream since I started playing baseball.”

His father also said he would issue a statement regarding the matter after the draft.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]