“I want to be a starting pitcher representing the Dodgers.”
Jang Hyun-seok (19, Masan Yongmago), an ultra-athletic right-handed pitcher who has declared his intention to play in Major League Baseball (MLB), has thrown his hat in the ring for the Los Angeles Dodgers.토스카지노
At the LA Dodgers signing press conference held at the Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 14th, Jang Hyun-seok said, “Honestly, I didn’t expect to sign, but I’m honoured to wear the (Dodgers) uniform like this. They have been watching me for a long time and are interested in me.” “When we had a meeting, I analysed past and present footage and explained it well. The Dodgers are a familiar and familiar organisation to Koreans. I chose the Dodgers because they are known to be the best at developing pitchers among the 30 teams,” he said, explaining why he chose the Dodgers.
Prior to the press conference, a congratulatory video was released featuring LA Dodgers President Andrew Driedman, Executive Vice President Gaylon Kerr, and Director of Minor League Pitching Rob Hill. In unison, they said, “Welcome to the Dodgers family and look forward to a bright future. We can’t wait to have him join us in the United States,” they said.
Jang Hyun-seok receives a jersey from Los Angeles Dodgers director of scouting for the Pacific region John Dibble during a press conference on Thursday afternoon at Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Jang is known for his fastball, which can reach up to 157 kilometres per hour, and his changeup, which includes a curveball and slider. In nine games (29 innings) at the high school level this year, he went 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA and 52 strikeouts. If he had applied for the Korean Baseball Organization’s rookie draft in September, he would have been a guaranteed first-round pick, but Jang chose to challenge himself in the United States.
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a long-term investment and effort to recruit Jang Hyun-seok. Furthermore, the Dodgers ran out of money in the International Amateur Bonus Pool (the cap on international player contracts allocated to each team) this year, so they used a prospect trade to secure Jang. This shows that the Dodgers were serious about acquiring Jang. Jang became the third Korean pitcher to wear a Dodger uniform, joining Chan Ho Park (#61) and Ryu Hyun-jin (#99). Jang’s number is 18.
“It’s not a number I chose (laughs),” Jang said of his number, before turning the microphone over to Dodgers Director of Scouting for the Pacific Region John Dibble, who was also present at the press conference. “We had to make it in a very short time, so we had to make a special one,” said John Dibble. “Number 18 is the number that Japanese pitchers like Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kenta Maeda used to wear when they came to the major leagues. I thought that 18 was a favourite number for Asian pitchers, so I decided to wear 18.”
Jang Hyun-seok of the Masan Yongmago. Photo | Gil Sung-yong
Jang is working his way up from the minor leagues to the big leagues with the Dodgers’ sophisticated development process. No one knows how long it will take. But Jang is determined to get there.
“I hope I can get there (to the majors) quickly, but I have to go and see how it goes. I don’t know how many years it will take because I might get injured, but I want to be like Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is the number one starter for the Dodgers and has been pitching for a long time. I want to be like him because I want to be a starter,” he said.
He did not hide his greed for the major league stage. He is determined to become a starting pitcher like Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin. “My goal is to go to the major leagues as soon as possible,” Jang said, “and I want to be a starting pitcher for the Dodgers like Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin.”
When asked if he had a particular nickname he would like to be called, he said, “I haven’t thought about it. I hope the fans will give me a good nickname,” he smiled.
The challenges of the American stage can be daunting. ‘The important thing is to have an unbreakable heart’ We wish Jang the best of luck in fulfilling his dream of playing in the big leagues.