S. Korean high school player Kim Seong-jun signs with Texas Rangers
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean two-way prospect has signed with the Texas Rangers, hoping to become his country's equivalent of the Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Rangers announced in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday (local time) they had signed Gwangju Jeil High School senior Kim Seong-jun as an international free agent. According to Kim's Seoul-based agency, Leeco Sports Agency, Kim signed for US$1.2 million.
Kim, 18, doubles as a shortstop and a right-handed pitcher. He is in the final year of high school and will graduate early next year in the southern city of Gwangju.
In 11 games so far this year, Kim is batting .333/.420/.595 with a home run, eight RBIs and four steals, and has a 2-1 record with a 3.24 ERA on the mound, along with 34 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings in eight outings.
Last year, he put up a .307/.445/.386 line with one home run, eight RBIs and 13 steals in 28 games. As a pitcher in 2024, Kim went 3-1 with 47 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings across 14 appearances.
At his introductory presser, Kim said Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way sensation with three MVP awards, is his "role model."
"There is so much to learn from Ohtani, both on and off the field," Kim said. "I will do my best in both pitching and hitting and try to become a successful two-way player in Major League Baseball."
Hamilton Wise, the Rangers' senior director of international scouting and development, said the team was excited to have "a world-class talent and also a world-class person."
"We've been so impressed with him defensively at shortstop and in the batter's box but also on the pitcher's mound. We have full intent as an organization to develop him as a two-way player," Wise said. "We believe he has the qualities and ingredients for that challenge. But more than anything, we're so excited that this is a player and a person who represents our organizational values as the Texas Rangers. He's a world-class competitor. He has the character and mental makeup to impact the game in this organization positively for many years to come."
Kim is the fifth player from Gwangju Jeil High School to sign with a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, joining former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Kim Byung-hyun, ex-Chicago Cubs infielder Choi Hee-seop, ex-New York Mets pitcher Seo Jae-weong and former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho. Those four either signed out of college or after a stint as a pro in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Kim Seong-jun is the first to sign directly out of Gwangju Jeil.
Kim said he decided to skip the KBO draft, where he could have been a high pick, and jump directly into American baseball because he felt it would help him get to MLB sooner.
"It's gonna be hard, not easy," Kim said through an interpreter. "But I will do my best. I'm not going to regret anything at all."
Listed at 185 centimeters and 83 kilograms by the Korea Baseball Softball Association, Kim has touched 153 kilometers per hour (95.1 miles per hour) with his fastball, and he pairs that with a curveball, a slider and a splitter.
Wise said the Rangers have "resources around him to put him in a position of success."
"I think the key to this whole thing -- we've talked internally about this endlessly -- it's not the ability for players over there to do this, but do they want to?" Wise added. "Do they want to come over to Major League Baseball? They know what it entails. Are they going to cower in fear if things are hard? Or are they going to lean into that? This kid is aware of the gravity of the decision that was made. We have a ton of background on who he is as a person. He is a really impressive young man. So we're very excited about that piece. It's a big challenge, but if he conquers the transition, we have no doubt the talent will play out."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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