After Bae Ji-hwan, a high school student appeared on the American stage for the first time in a long time.
Shim Jun-seok (19), who graduated from Deoksu High School, is the main character. MLB.com reported on the 16th (Korean time), “Pittsburgh has agreed to join Shim Jun-seok, who is ranked 10th in the international prospect rankings.”
Sim Jun-seok, who wore the Pittsburgh uniform right after graduating from high school, is a right-handed orthodox pitcher with a physique of 194cm and 97.5kg. He was the No. 1 pitcher in the Korean high school baseball rankings in 2022. Shim Jun-seok, who graduated from Maehyang Middle School, made his name known splendidly in the 2020 Association long-term final. He suddenly emerged as the biggest player, boasting an average fastball of 148 km/h with 6 innings and 1 run against three advertisements. Above all, at the age of 16, he recorded 150 km/h, which attracted public attention.
Entering his sophomore year, his skills became more mature. He has a large physique, standing over 190 cm. His ability to throw the ball lightly and his ability to use breaking balls such as curves were also evaluated as a sense of power immediately. He also reached an average speed of 150 km / h. He even unofficially recorded 157 km/h. Just before his junior season, Shim Jun-seok signed a contract with Boras Corporation and secured a bridgehead to enter the major leagues.
However, Shim Jun-seok fell into endless sluggishness in the third year season. Most of all, it didn’t work out at all. Ratings also went down rapidly. There were also predictions that Shim Jun-seok would go to the United States after entering the Korean stage. However, Shim Jun-seok chose to go straight to the American stage. He did not submit an application for the KBO draft.
However, the major leagues still highly valued Shim Jun-seok. In November of last year, the official Major League Baseball website (MLB.com) placed Shim Jun-seok as the 10th best international prospect and the 2nd best pitcher. However, it was not an easy road to see only one. The reason is the major league international amateur contract signing pool. It was the judgment of many officials that each club would not be able to afford to give a large amount of money to Shim Jun-seok as they had exhausted their limits.
The major league international amateur contract signing pool will be initialized on January 15th. His last year, Cho Won-bin (St. Louis), was also confirmed after January 15th. That is why Shim Jun-seok’s contract has been completed at this point. 메이저사이트 Shim Jun-seok believed in Boras and waited honestly, and Pittsburgh, which observed Shim Jun-seok closely last year, did not forget the talent he showed. Pittsburgh can spend $5,825,500 (about 7.23 billion won) on signing international amateur players from this day to December 15th.
The San Diego Padres acquired Venezuelan catcher Ethan Salas, the number one international prospect, for $5.6 million (approximately 6.95 billion won). Outfielder Brandon Maeya (Cuba), who was ranked 9th, one step above Shim Jun-seok, will join the New York Yankees for $4.4 million. The Pittsburgh club has yet to officially announce the signing of Shim Jun-seok. MLB.com said, “Pittsburgh has agreed to sign Korean pitcher Shim Jun-seok and Dominican Republic outfielder Raymond Mora.”
“He throws a fast ball with an average speed of 94 to 96 miles (about 151 to 154 km) and a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour (about 161 km). He also has a good breaking ball.” Also known as ‘Park Chan-ho’s childhood comes to mind’, he praised his potential.
For reference, Pittsburgh is currently the club where Bae Ji-hwan and Choi Ji-man, the last Korean high school graduates to go directly to the US stage, play. Pittsburgh was also the last club for Park Chan-ho, who won 124 wins in his career. The highest contract payment ever for a high school graduate direct to the United States is $1.25 million Bae Ji-hwan received. It is followed by Kwon Kwang-min ($1.2 million) and Park Hyo-joon ($1.17 million).