Anchor Moment] 스포츠토토
Fast pitcher Jang Hyun-seok, the only high school athlete to make the Hangzhou Asian Games team, has a team.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team of “Korean Express” Park Chan-ho and “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin.
Reporter Kim Han-jun reports.
【 Reporter 】
Jang Hyun-seok, a third-year student at Masan Yongmago, chose the LA Dodgers.
Jang Hyun-seok, who had given up on applying for the KBO rookie draft and declared his intention to go to the United States, decided to join the Dodgers after much deliberation.
His contract was worth $900,000, or 1.18 billion won in Korean currency, which is the highest among recent players who have moved to the United States.
Considering that last year’s top high school player, Shim Jun-seok, had a contract of $750,000, it shows the high expectations for Jang Hyun-seok.
According to MBN’s interview, Jang Hyun-seok received official offers from four teams, some of which offered more than $1 million, but he is said to have opened his heart to the Dodgers’ pitcher development system and sincerity.
▶ Interview: Jang Hyun-seok / Masan Yongmago Pitcher (24th of last month)
- “I can’t say in a public place like this, I can only say that (many teams) are still thinking about it.”
The Dodgers have a long history with Korean players.
They were the team that Park Chan-ho, the first Korean major leaguer, started his career with, and they were the first team that Ryu Hyun-jin played for.
As a result, the Dodgers are so popular in South Korea that they are often referred to as the Gookjus.
For Jang Hyun-seok, it was the first gateway to becoming a big leaguer.
Now it’s up to Jang Hyun-seok to see if he can grow into a special pitcher representing Korea like his Dodger predecessors.
▶ Interview: Jang Hyun-seok / Masan Yongmago Pitcher (18th of last month)
- “No matter where I am or which team I play for, I always want to be the most sincere and best player on that team.”