Kiwoom`s rookie Debs is the thickest in the league. As there are few key players among veterans, rookies with younger ages receive more opportunities to play in games than other teams, thereby gaining experience in real games. However, there are few "super rookies" that will change the landscape of the league.

The emergence of Kiwoom's "special rookies" dates back to 2018. Ahn Woo-jin wore the Nexen uniform, the predecessor of Kiwoom, as the first draft pick that is now gone in the 2018 rookie draft. The down payment was 600 million won, which was the highest in the club's history at the time. Ahn Woo-jin, who established himself as a starting pitcher in 2021, won the Golden Glove Award with 15 wins and 8 losses and a 2.11 ERA in 2022. In 2022, he also set a season record with 224 strikeouts. Kiwoom is in an extreme rebuild waiting for the 2026 season when Ahn will return.메이저놀이터

After Ahn Woo-jin's appearance, Kiwoom's rookie nomination received the most attention in the 2021 draft. Kiwoom selected Jang Jae-young, who was called the "Monster Pitcher" of the high school league, in the first round of nomination at the time, and signed a contract of 900 million won, which is the second-largest down payment for a rookie in the league. Jang Jae-young was unable to settle down due to ball control, but turned into a batter this year.

In the second round of the same year, infielder Kim Hui-jip was selected. After showing unstable defense in his early debut, Kim grew into a representative young shortstop after joining the national team last year, but was traded to NC during this season. After moving to NC, Kim hit double-digit home runs and achieved career high.

Kiwoom's first-rounders have begun to show off their skills little by little this season. Joo Seung-woo, a college graduate who received the first pick in the 2022 season draft when the first pick was implemented, did not perform well for two years before making an impression by finishing the second half of this year. Now that Cho Sang-woo was traded to KIA, Joo Seung-woo is a strong candidate for Kiwoom's firefighter next year. Kim Gun-hee, who was selected in the first round in the 2023 draft, received attention as a combination of pitching and hitting, but showed some potential by focusing on playing as a batter this year.

However, a question mark still remains over Kiwoom's strategy to nurture new talent. While recruiting new promising players by exchanging their previous players for the right to nominate new players from other teams, no new player has been named since Ahn Woo-jin, who has attracted attention enough to lead the generational change. It is hard to find a new player who was selected in the lower round to stand out.

The Kiwoom team expects such rookies to fill the gap of the main players who have recently left the team one after another. Four first-rounders (Jeon Joon-pyo, Kim Yoon-ha, Jung Hyun-woo and Kim Seo-joon) who have gathered in Kiwoom through nomination trade over the past two years will be put to the test next season. Whether Kiwoom can make 2026 the first year of its re-emergence depends on the performance of its rookies next season.