The Los Angeles Dodgers continued to add talent to their organization on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with prized Korean pitching prospect Hyun-seok Jang as part of the 2022-2023 international signing period that ends on December 15.
The move signing was first reported as close by KBO insider Daniel Kim on Monday, and the deal was confirmed by Jang and his agents at Leeco Sports Agency on Tuesday.
Leeco Sports Agency said Jang received a $900,000 signing bonus and will hold a press conference on Monday in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday.
Jang is a 19-year-old at Masan Yongma High School in Changwon, South Korea. He was expected to be the No.1 pick in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) Draft next month, but decided to forgo that to pursue his dream of playing MLB.
“It was a tough decision for me because I dreamed of pitching both in the KBO and MLB,” Jang said in a statement. “But ultimately, I wanted to challenge myself in the best league in the world and decided to take a crack at MLB.”
Players had until August 15 to declare themselves as eligible for the KBO Draft that takes place one month later.
Jang is nearly 6’3 with a fastball that touches 97 mph, and he also features a slider, sweeper, curveball and changeup.
He made seven appearances this season at the High School level, going 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA while striking out 49 hitters and walking 12. He allowed just one earned run in 27.1 innings.
He was named to the Korean national team for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and he will become the youngest player and only amateur on the team when play begins in September.
Although it’s unlikely Jang will be placed into the top 10 of the Dodgers’ prospect rankings as a high schooler, he has tremendous upside and could become a quick riser once he begins pitching professionally.
If he was eligible for the MLB draft, his talent level likely would have placed him within the second or third round, according to Kim, making him the top international free agent remaining as part of the current signing period.
Due to the translation from Korean to English, Jang’s name is sometimes spelled Hyun-suk, Hyeon-Suk or Hyeon-seok, but his agency also confirmed he will be using Hyun-seok Jang as his preferred translation.
Dodgers traded prospects to White Sox for Hyun-Seok Jang signing money
Earlier this week, the Dodgers traded prospects Aldrín Batista and Máximo Martínez to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for international slot money.
The amount of international slot money acquired by the Dodgers was not announced, but it had to be at least $1 million given the Dodgers were out of funds to sign players to contracts worth more than $10,000, and pool money can only be traded in increments of $250,000, unless they have less than that available.
The White Sox led MLB with an $1,410,000 international bonus pool as of June 11, while the Dodgers had just $6,500 available.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
