# Hanwha Moon Dong-joo proves to be the ‘next-generation ace’ 2023 season rookie award honor

This is the first Hanwha player to win the award in 17 years since Ryu Hyun-jin in 2006.
“The Rookie of the Year trophy is heavy I will bear this weight well.”

Hanwha Eagles [Moon Dong-ju](https://casinositezone.blog.ss-blog.jp/2023-10-27-1?1698372112) (20) stands tall as the best rising star of the 2023 season.

Moon Dong-joo was named the Rookie of the Year Award winner at the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Awards held at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on the 27th.

He received 85 votes (76.6%) out of 111 valid votes in the vote by professional baseball reporters. KIA Tigers Yoon Young-cheol (15 votes), who competed with Moon Dong-ju for the Rookie of the Year award, was far behind.

Moon Dong-ju received 3 million won in prize money along with the trophy.

This is the fourth time in 17 years that a Hanwha graduate (including Binggrae) has won the Rookie Award, after Lee Jeong-hoon in 1987, Kim Tae-gyun in 2001, and Ryu Hyun-jin in 2006.

[Moon Dong-ju](http://cse.google.tk/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportstotomen.com%2F), who was selected in the first round of the 2022 rookie draft and joined Hanwha, attracted attention for his extraordinary talent even before he entered the professional ranks.

The debut season did not meet expectations. In the aftermath of his injury, he only pitched in 13 games (28⅔ innings), leaving behind only 1 win, 3 losses, 2 holds, and an earned run average of 5.65.

After a disappointing season, Moon Dong-ju was extremely anxious. He began the 2023 season by strengthening his body and fully preparing himself.

On April 6, his first appearance of the season, against the Samsung Lions, he got off to a refreshing start by winning the game with 1 hit and no runs in 5 innings, and then on April 12 against the KIA Tigers, he threw a fastball at 160.1 km/h in the first inning. This is the moment when he became the first player in the KBO League to surpass 160 km/h (based on pitch tracking system/PTS).

Moon Dong-ju, who played an active role while maintaining a spot in the starting rotation, showed off his potential by posting 8 wins, 8 losses, and an average ERA of 3.72 in 23 games.

After ending the regular season early in early September under the club's strict management, including restrictions on the number of innings and pitches, he participated in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, pitched a fight in the final against Chinese Taipei, and took the lead in winning the gold medal.

[Moon Dong-ju](http://www.kitaoka-group.com/pukiwiki/index.php?sportstotomen3), who early on opened up the possibility of being the next-generation ace, earned the Rookie of the Year Award and made a clear mark as the ‘present and future of Korean baseball.’

Moon Dong-ju, who stood on the podium, said, “The thing that comes to mind the most right now is that the trophy seems very heavy. “I will bear the weight of this trophy well,” he said. “I understand that this is the first time in 17 years (as a Hanwha player) to receive this award. “I will give this honor to my fans,” he said.

Regarding next year’s goal, “Our team must rise to a higher level. “I will throw hard so that the team can move up,” he said. [스포츠토토맨](https://www.sportstotomen.com/%ed%86%a0%ed%86%a0%ec%82%ac%ec%9d%b4%ed%8a%b8-%ea%b2%80%ec%a6%9d/)