Haeng-boda dreams of a ‘New Korean Monster’. Masan Yongma High School pitcher Jang Hyun-seok, who has declared his intention to enter the U.S. major leagues, is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are expected to invest more than $1 million in the contract.
According to MK Sports, Jang is close to signing a contract with the Dodgers.
A baseball insider familiar with the situation told MK Sports on August 7, “The Dodgers, who recently acquired international player signing bonus money through a trade, have decided to invest aggressively in Jang Hyun-seok. I’m told they could invest more than $1 million in a signing bonus right away. A signing announcement could come as soon as next January, when the international signing bonus resets. No other major league team can afford to offer a signing bonus as large as the Dodgers’.”
On August 1, Jang Hyun-seok announced through his agency that he had decided to challenge the major leagues without submitting an application to the KBO Draft.
“I apologize for making many people wait while my residence was being decided. Both the KBO and Major League Baseball were my dreams, so it was very difficult to make a decision, but my desire to challenge the world’s top stage made me make up my mind to challenge the major leagues in the end.”
Jang is arguably the best pitcher in the high school class of 2023. Already one of the biggest names in his class since last year, Jang went 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA, 52 strikeouts, 16 walks, and a 0.79 WHIP in nine appearances in official tournaments this year.
Despite announcing his intention to play in the United States, Jang Hyun-seok is still competing in the Presidential High School Baseball Tournament. Jang pitched in relief against Daegu Sangwon High School on August 4 (1 inning, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, 1 walk, 2 runs) and against Daejeon High School on August 5 (0.2 innings, no hits, 1 walk, no runs).
Jang Hyun-seok said, “I decided to pitch for the team. If I was only thinking about myself, I wouldn’t have pitched, but I wanted to do a good job with my teammates for the last time. The team comes before the individual. I told my coach that, and that’s how I ended up on the mound for this tournament. I hope to pitch well in the remaining presidential games and win the championship.”
Jang Hyun-seok is expected to pitch in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. on Aug. 8 at Mokdong Stadium.
Jang Hyun-seok has been negotiating with Major League Baseball teams without submitting a KBO draft application since deciding to come to the United States. Among them, the Dodgers have reportedly made the most progress at the negotiating table.메이저놀이터
A former baseball insider said, “Except for the Dodgers, other major league clubs have difficulty satisfying the player’s side due to the size of the remaining signing bonus for international players. The Dodgers are the only team that can offer more than $1 million in signing bonuses at this point. On top of that, the Dodgers’ player development system is one of the best in the majors. The Dodgers will need to generate a starting pitching staff in the next few years, which makes them more attractive to Jang Hyun-seok.”
The Dodgers are literally the “national team” of South Korea. After Park Chan-ho in the 1990s, Ryu Hyun-jin became the “Korean Monster” in 2010.