It is known that pitcher Shim Jun-seok (19), who is seeking to enter the major leagues of the American professional baseball league, is highly likely to wear a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform.
On the morning of the 12th (Korean time), the American sports media The Athletic announced in the ‘Mailbag’ section where they received questions from Pittsburgh club fans, “The possibility of Shim Jun-seok going to Pittsburgh is growing.” Previously, Fangraphs.com and others predicted that “Pittsburgh is likely to sign a contract with Korean pitching prospect Shim Jun-seok.” 메이저놀이터
Shim Jun-seok, who throws a fastball at 150 km/h, received attention as a super high school pitcher, and he did not participate in the KBO League rookie draft, declaring that he would advance to the United States. Shim Jun-seok signed a contract with Boras Corporation early last year. The Athletic introduced, “Shim Jun-seok is ranked 10th in the international prospect list by Major League.com. It is compared to Park Chan-ho’s childhood when he played for Pittsburgh in 2010.”
The Pittsburgh club is a club that has often formed relationships with Korean players such as Kang Jung-ho, Park Hyo-jun, Bae Ji-hwan, and Choi Ji-man. Some are raising the possibility that Pittsburgh will receive a contract payment of more than $1 million for the first time since the transfer of money in 2018 ($1.25 million).
Among Korean players who entered the U.S. as an amateur, the player who received the most signing money was Kim Byung-hyun, who received $2.25 million when he signed a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999.