The US Major League (ML) rookie draft was held up to 40 rounds until 2019. However, due to the special situation of Corona 19 in 2020, a shortened draft of 5 rounds was implemented, and from 2021, only players are nominated until the 20th round.바카라사이트
Criticism is emerging among amateurs and independent league players and officials about the narrowing of the door to professional advancement. Independent league manager Gary Bentul of the Boise Hawks feels the same way.
In a recent interview with Star News, coach Bentuhl mentioned outfielder Kenny Oyama (24), who joined the Hawks this year after failing to receive a major league nomination. Oyama, a Japanese-American, is 162 cm tall and had a batting average of 0.284 with 2 homers, 27 RBIs and 20 stolen bases while playing for UCLA last year. UCLA is a team belonging to the first division of the National Collegiate Baseball League and is a prestigious baseball school that produced New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (32) and former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer (31, Yokohama).
American independent league manager Gary Bentul (left) and Kenny Oyama of the Boise Hawks. /Photo = Courtesy of director Bentul
Manager Bentul said, “If the major league rookie draft went to the 30th and 40th rounds, as in the past, Oyama could have been sufficiently nominated.” It’s very unfortunate that I can’t receive it. I can’t find the hidden pearl buried in the soil.”
As he pointed out, there are several players in the major leagues who were nominated in the lower ranks of the draft but later developed their skills. The most representative case is former catcher Mike Piazza (55).
Piazza, who is familiar to domestic fans as he worked with Park Chan-ho (50) during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was an unknown player at the time of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft, so that he could not be nominated based on his skills. However, he was drafted by the Dodgers thanks to the consideration of manager Tommy Lasorda, who was a close friend of his father. His nomination rank was round 62, 1390 out of 1395 overall.
Piazza, who grew up as an offensive catcher after making his major league debut in 1992, worked for the New York Mets and hit 427 homers in 16 seasons in the big leagues until his retirement in Oakland in 2007. Starting with the National League Rookie of the Year in 1993, he is a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner. After his retirement, he was voted into the Major League Hall of Fame in 2016.
Coach Gary Bentule, who was a minor league coach for the Chicago Cubs. /Photo = Courtesy of director Bentul
Coach Ben Tul has been leading for 30 years, including 10 years as a minor league coach for the Chicago Cubs, college baseball coach and current independent league coach. He also played a role in minor league training when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. He is recognized for his leadership so far that 90 of the players who have passed through his hands have advanced to the major leagues. During his time with the Cubs, he also made connections with Korean players such as Lee Hak-joo (34, Lotte).
He recalled the time when the Boise Hawks were the Cubs’ minor league single-A team in the past, “I still vividly remember it. Lee Hak-joo made 6 errors in the Hawks’ first home game. The home fans’ booing at the time was no joke,” he said. Lee Hak-joo was also able to grow into a minor league all-star as well as triple-A because the team continued to give him opportunities and trust him.”
Coach Bentul said, “If you work hard and show your talent here in the independent league, another opportunity will surely come.” “Looking at Ohyama, the only Asian player on our team, Lee Hak-joo, Ha Jae-hoon (33, SSG), and Kim Dong-yeop (33), who played together during the Cubs. I also think of Korean players such as Samsung) and Na Kyung-min (32, Lotte). I hope they all get along well and meet each other when the opportunity arises.”