Choi Dong-won Award Selection Process and Final Voting Results
The selection committee evaluated five high school pitching aces from the season. Alongside Kim and Ha, the nominees included Gwangju Jeil High School’s Park Chan-min, who finished with six wins and joined the Philadelphia Phillies; Woosin High School’s Lee Jung-chan; and Daejeon High School’s Han Gyu-min, a second-year player who won the Hwanggeumsajagi best pitcher award.
Forty scouts from the 10 professional clubs cast secret ballots among the five finalists. Kim secured 20 votes, while Ha finished closely behind with 18 votes. Han Gyu-min and Lee Jung-chan each received one vote.
Candidates must meet strict eligibility standards set by the Korea Baseball Softball Association to qualify for the award. Requirements include making at least 15 appearances, pitching 50 or more innings, securing four or more wins, maintaining an earned run average under 2.60, and recording 55 or more strikeouts.
Kim Ji-yul Season Statistics and KT Wiz Selection
Kim anchored Chungam High School’s pitching staff through 29 appearances this season, throwing 132⅔ innings and compiling a 17-2 record with a 1.57 ERA. He struck out 171 batters and led his school to two national tournament titles. Following his high school campaign, the KT Wiz selected him during the 2027 KBO rookie draft.
Foundation Secretary-General Kang Jin-soo compared Kim’s durability to that of the award’s namesake. Kang stated that it is rare for a high school pitcher to shoulder a full season’s workload with such heavy responsibility, noting that Kim’s tenacity on the mound closely mirrors Choi Dong-won’s early career.
The award comes with a 10 million won prize, sponsored by Daeseon Distilling. Kim will receive 5 million won in scholarship funds, and Chungam High School will receive a matching 5 million won support grant.
Workload Concerns and Kim Ji-yul Response
Kim faced scrutiny regarding his heavy late-season workload, which included 29 total appearances, 1,896 pitches, and a dense stretch in October. On October 16, he threw 15 pitches across two scoreless innings against Jeju High School in the 107th National Sports Festival. After one day of rest, he pitched four innings, throwing 49 pitches against Segwang High School on October 18. Following two days of rest, he threw 105 pitches against Gwangju Jeil High School on October 21, totaling 169 pitches over 12⅓ innings across three appearances in six days.
Addressing questions about potential overuse, Kim stated that his physical condition remained strong and that team managers routinely checked on his wellbeing. “Because I also felt fine, I took the mound,” Kim said, adding that he felt grateful for the chance to develop into a dependable player.
Foundation officials expressed hope that Kim will receive professional oversight under the KT Wiz organization. The 13th BNK Busan Bank Choi Dong-won Award and the 9th Daeseon High School Choi Dong-won Award ceremony is scheduled for November 11 at 2 p.m. at the Busan Bank headquarters ocean hall.
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