The Los Angeles Dodgers and prospect Jang Hyun-seok (19-Masan Yongmago) are genuine.
Jang Hyun-seok said at the Dodgers’ induction ceremony held at the Seoul Dragon City Hotel on April 14, “I heard that you have been watching me for a long time. I’m grateful. I am honored to wear the prestigious Dodgers uniform,” he said.
Jang Hyun-seok signed a $900,000 (approximately 1.185 billion won) contract with the Dodgers on Nov. 9.
Prior to the induction ceremony, the Dodgers received congratulations from Dodgers President Andrew Friedman and other key members of the organization in the United States. The next day, the Dodgers posted a photo of Jang’s induction ceremony on the team’s official social media accounts, along with the caption, “Welcome to the Dodgers, Jang Hyun-seok. 화이팅!” in Korean.
Jang Hyun-seok, who has a sturdy physique (190 centimeters-90 kilograms), is a pitcher with a 0.00 ERA in high school baseball this year. With 52 strikeouts in 29 innings of work, Jang was the only amateur to be selected to the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team.
He has a variety of pitches, including a changeup, slider, and curveball, as well as a fastball that reaches 155 kilometers per hour. He’s also been working on his sweeper, which has recently become a popular pitch in MLB. He has also been known to strike out at opponents who protested balks during the game and perform the ‘hissing ceremony’.
There were no shortage of clubs interested in Jang Hyun-seok. At one point, seven or eight Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts flocked to Mokdong Stadium to watch Jang pitch.
The winner was the Dodgers. The team’s aggressive move showed they meant business. “The Dodgers were the most aggressive,” said the official in charge of Jang’s contract. They prepared an analysis video of Jang’s pitching motion and explained the process and method of pitcher development.”
John Dibble, director of scouting for the Pacific region, said, “We’ve been interested in Hyun-seok Jang for quite some time. We’ve been looking at him since 2020, when he was a junior in middle school, and all seven of our scouts were unanimously in favor of signing him.”
“He has great control, physicality, and a great changeup. “When I watched his last game with the Mokdong, I was impressed with his pitching. I spoke to him and he was very curious and eager to learn. I thought he would be a great fit for our organization.”토스카지노
It was not an easy decision to make. They sent two prospects down to free up international amateur bonus pool space. The bonus pool is a cap on the total amount of international player contracts allocated to each MLB team.
“I knew the Dodgers didn’t have any bonus pool space, so when they first offered me, I wondered if it was really possible,” said Jang Hyun-seok’s agent, Lee Yerang of Rico Sports Agency, explaining the pre-signing situation. The Dodgers traded two other prospects to make room for Jang.
Jang Hyun-seok also revealed his signing on September 9, saying, “I chose the Dodgers. It’s a familiar and prestigious organization that I’ve watched more than any other team since I was a kid. It was a big reason why I chose the Dodgers,” he said, revealing his sincere affection for the team.
The Dodgers are a perennial World Series contender, and their pitcher development system is one of the best in the MLB. If Jang Hyun-seok continues to train according to the Dodgers’ development program, he could become another Dodger corollary leaguer like Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin.
The Dodgers’ sincerity and Jang Hyun-seok’s sincerity are already raising expectations for the future.