Right-handed pitcher Shim Jun-seok (19), who threw the fastest ball in high school baseball last year, has made it possible to enter the Major League (MLB). The club mentioned as a likely destination is the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team belonging to Korean infielder Choi Ji-man.
On the 12th (Korean time), the American sports media The Athletics said in a question-and-answer article about the Pittsburgh team, “The possibility of Sim Jun-seok moving to Pittsburgh is growing.” It is compared to the childhood of Park Chan-ho, who played for Pittsburgh in 2008.”
Pittsburgh is a club that has actively recruited international prospects. U.S. radio media Ohda said, “Pittsburgh general manager Ben Charrington made an aggressive move in the international amateur recruitment market last year, signing top prospects Jordan Santos (shortstop) and Tony Blanco Jr. (outfielder).” I often had a relationship with Korean players such as Choi Ji-man, Park Hyo-joon, and Bae Ji-hwan.” 메이저사이트
Shim Jun-seok, who is scheduled to graduate from Deoksoo High School, is a right-handed orthodox pitcher with a maximum speed of 157 km per hour. He boasts a sturdy physique with a height of 194 cm and a weight of 103 kg. By the time he was a freshman, he had already crossed 150 km/h and he was on the radar of MLB scouts. In March of last year, he also signed an agent contract with MLB super agent Scott Boras. He was considered the first overall candidate for the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft, but chose to challenge the American Professional Baseball without submitting a draft application.
The Pittsburgh club has shown great interest in Shim Jun-seok since last year. He even sent a team leader-level scout to Korea to analyze the pitching of Shim Jun-seok, who was playing at Deoksu High School. Pittsburgh fan site Lumberter recently said, “Pittsburgh is likely to bring another international prospect. Shim Jun-seok is a great rookie with excellent physical condition and speed, but he did not participate in the KBO draft.” “Pittsburgh will benefit from that. I think it will work. It’s a great opportunity for a team that needs to keep recruiting talent.”
The scale of Shim Jun-seok’s contract is also of interest. The amount each MLB team can spend each year on international amateur players (players 16 years of age or older residing outside the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico) is limited. Pittsburgh’s upper limit is $5,825,500 (about 7.25 billion won), which is one of the most generous among the 30 clubs.
Among Korean players, Kim Byung-Hyun received the largest deposit when entering the U.S. as an amateur. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999 for $2.25 million. Ryu Je-guk (Chicago Cubs), who received 1.6 million dollars in 2001, followed by Choo Shin-soo (Seattle Mariners), who signed 1.37 million dollars in 2000. It is highly likely that Shim Jun-seok will exceed the $1 million contract for the first time since Bae Ji-hwan, who signed a $1.25 million contract with Pittsburgh in 2018. Contracts with international amateurs start on the 15th, US time.