KT Wiz has been holding the ‘Rookie Draft Traditional Event’ for 6 years. It shined this year too.
KT selected Won Sang-hyeon (19, Busan High School) 온라인바카라 in the first round and Yuk Cheong-myeong (18, Gangneung High School) in the second round in the 2024 KBO rookie draft held at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul at 2 p.m. on the 14th.
And a meaningful event was held for them. This was his first time signing autographs since becoming a professional.
Won Sang-hyun and Yuk Cheong-myeong signed a ball with the club logo engraved on it, which was delivered by a KT official immediately after the draft. In this way, the first signed ball was completed after being nominated as a professional. In addition to autographs, I wrote messages to my parents that I had not been able to say before, so I could express my gratitude to them.
Such touching events are KT’s unique tradition. This is an event that every rookie who has joined KT since 2018 has experienced once. It has been held for 6 years since the 2018 rookie draft.
The KT club said, “We would like to express our gratitude to our parents who were by our side, supported us financially and supported us until we became professional players, and hope that we will not forget our family, ‘original intentions’ and ‘ambitions’ when we were nominated as professional players.” He explained, “To celebrate the player’s nomination and increase his or her sense of belonging to the club, we engraved ‘ROOKIE’ on the uniform to increase the excitement, joy, and sense of professionalism at the time of nomination.”
The above event is not only for athletes. Meaningful gifts are also given to the players’ families. First, family photos of participating players are taken on site. This photo will be framed and presented with a hat at the Wiz Park induction ceremony at a home game in October.
The players’ families were touched by the small but thoughtful event. Won Sang-hyun’s mother, Kim Hye-seon, said, “I’m proud of you for not giving up and doing well. Now that you’ve become a full-fledged professional player, I hope you take care of your body and manage your injuries well and show a good performance.” She added, “I went to the club I wanted, so I’ll represent the league like the determination written on the ball. “I have no doubt that he will become a pitcher. I will also work hard to support him from behind. I am also grateful to the club for giving me meaningful memories,” he said.
Yuk Cheong-myeong’s mother, Jeon Soon-yeong, said, “I’m glad to have been nominated as a professional and I’m really grateful to (Yook) Cheong-myeong. I was heartbroken because he had a hard time after rehabilitation, but I’m thankful that he endured it faithfully. He gave me his first autograph and now he’s giving me money. “They said they would earn it, but Cheongmyeong, who was like a child, seemed to have grown up, and it was so cute and special that it made me cry,” he said, crying. Yuk Cheong-ho, the older brother of Yuk Cheong-myeong, said of his younger brother, “I’m glad I went to KT, where I am a regular in fall baseball. I also had a dream of becoming a baseball player, and I am thankful that my younger brother made it come true for me.”
The players also expressed their feelings. Won Sang-hyun said, “It was the team I wanted to join the most because they gave me special attention and care from the start of the competition, and I am happy to be nominated. There are seniors in the club like So Hyeong-jun and Park Young-hyun who have good pitch control and similar pitching styles, so I would like to ask a lot of questions.
Regarding club events, he said, “It was nice to be able to share my heart-felt story with my mother at the first autograph gift event prepared by the club. I was moved to tears, but I will try my best to remember this feeling and keep my resolve as I live my professional life.” I said, give me strength.
Yuk Cheong-myeong also said, “I was really moved to present the first autograph ball I had dreamed of to my parents. Doing this traditional event really made me feel like I was at a professional club. I feel even more responsible because I was selected earlier than expected. It has been in front of my house since I was young. “I went there often, and it’s amazing to be a part of it. I will be proud as a member of a prestigious team,” he pledged.