The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to sign Korean pitcher Hyun-seok Jang.
According to Bleacher Report, Dan Kurtz, a Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) insider, said that Jang’s agency announced that the Dodgers had signed him for $900,000.
The 19-year-old is listed at 6’2″ and 198 pounds, MLB Trade Rumors reports. He is capable of throwing a 97-mile-per-hour fastball. During his final high school season, he allowed one run with a 42-to-14 K/BB ratio in 27 1/3 innings.
Jang is foregoing the KBO draft to pursue the MLB. According to Yonhap News Agency, he was projected to be the first pick in the KBO amateur draft.
“It was a tough decision for me because I dreamed of pitching both in the KBO and MLB,” Jang said in a statement, according to Dodger Blue. “But ultimately, I wanted to challenge myself in the best league in the world and decided to take a crack at MLB.”
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