The Los Angeles Dodgers’ relationship with the Korean major leaguer dates back to 1994. After watching Chan-ho Park throw hard-hitting fastballs on the international stage as a student at Hanyang University and falling in love with his potential, the Dodgers signed him to a contract in January 1994 after bidding against several other teams.
In fact, some of his classmates from the ’92 class, known as the “Golden Generation,” were more complete pitchers than Chan-ho right away. Compared to them, Chan-ho Park was more like a gem, according to those who remember the time. But the Dodgers believed the potential was greater than any of his Golden Generation classmates, and they were confident they could refine it. The Dodgers were right on target. Chan-ho Park would go on to become known as the “Korean Express” and share his prime with the Dodgers.온라인바카
After making his major league debut in 1994, Park began his major league career in 1996 and went on to post a stellar 80-54 record with a 3.80 ERA in 221 games (176 starts) until 2001, when he left for Texas as a free agent. While a 3.80 ERA seems high, it’s important to keep in mind that this was the “steroid era”. In addition to his durability, which allowed him to pitch 200 innings, Chan Ho Park had five straight years of double-digit wins from 1997 to 2001.
The Dodgers have had a steady relationship with South Korea ever since. While they haven’t acquired many players, East Asian scouts continue to monitor the amateur scene. While major league clubs have varying opinions on Asian players, the Dodgers, who have already seen enough of them, including Chan Ho Park and Hideo Nomo, are known to be very favorable. And 29 years after scouting Chan-ho Park, the Dodgers have another Korean prospect on their hands.
Jang Hyun-seok, 19, is a right-hander who is set to graduate from Masan Yongmago. Jang is a highly touted prospect who was a lock to be the first overall pick in this year’s draft. He has a heavy fastball that reaches up to 157 kilometers per hour from his sturdy frame. He can throw a variety of pitches, and his command and game management are not bad either. The so-called “ace temperament” is definitely there. It’s not unreasonable to say that he’s more polished than Chan Ho Park was in 1992-1993. The Dodgers kept track of Jang, and when he decided to try out for the major leagues, they didn’t hesitate to put him in a uniform.
The talk in the industry is that the Dodgers made an incredible speed bump to get Jang Hyun-seok. International prospect signings must be addressed within the bonus pool. Each team has a slightly different amount of cap space for penalties and bonus pool trades, and most teams had already exhausted it last winter and spring. The Dodgers were no different. With less money to spend due to penalties ($4.14 million) than other teams, the Dodgers had already spent it on several players in the spring.
According to Baseball America’s Ben Bendler’s calculations, the Dodgers had just $1500 (about $2 million) left in their 2023 international signing bonus pool. They would need to spend a lot of money to sign Jang, and the cap would not be re-created until next year, so they didn’t know how things would change in the meantime. Then the Dodgers pulled off a stunt. The Dodgers sent two prospects, Aldrin Batista and Maximo Martinez, to the Chicago White Sox. In return, they received the international signing bonus pool.
Exactly how much the Dodgers received was not disclosed, but the White Sox were the only one of the 30 teams in the league with more than $1 million left in the bonus pool. Considering that they gave Jang $900,000 as a signing bonus, local media speculated that the trade freed up about $900,000 and spent it all on Jang. The Dodgers were so desperate for Jang that they sacrificed two of their top prospects. For other teams, it may have felt like a stab in the back.
The Dodgers were confident in Jang’s potential. Since the arrival of current President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers have not only spent big to match the team’s size and name recognition, but have also worked to overhaul their farm system. As a result, the Dodgers farm system, which was in the middle of the league prior to Friedman’s arrival, is now ranked in the upper-middle of the league, if not lower. It varies depending on the players added, graduated, and traded each year, but it’s not uncommon to see it as a top-tier farm.
The Dodgers made a bold bet on Hyun-seok Jang because they thought he could be competitive even in that farm system. Right now, the Dodgers have spent about 15-20% of their international signing bonus pool limit this year on Jang. That’s a lot of money to spend on a player they were confident had the potential to make it to the majors.
We don’t yet know when Jang will be able to make his major league debut. It depends on the level of the team’s farm system. The Dodgers have quite a few right-handers who have already made their major league debuts or are close to doing so. According to Major League Pipeline’s Dodgers prospect rankings, they have seven right-handed pitchers in the top 15. However, most of them won’t make their major league debuts until 2024 or 2025, and Jang Hyun-seok is the next in line.
Given the quality of the Dodgers’ farm system, a quick promotion shouldn’t be any easier than for other teams. In the end, it’s all up to Jang now. The good news is that the Dodgers made a huge investment in him, even trading away their bonus pool, so there will be plenty of interest and expectations going forward.
The talk in the industry is that the Dodgers made an incredible speed bump to get Jang Hyun-seok. International prospect signings must be addressed within the bonus pool. Each team has a slightly different amount of cap space for penalties and bonus pool trades, and most teams had already exhausted it last winter and spring. The Dodgers were no different. With less money to spend due to penalties ($4.14 million) than other teams, the Dodgers had already spent it on several players in the spring.
According to Baseball America’s Ben Bendler’s calculations, the Dodgers had just $1500 (about $2 million) left in their 2023 international signing bonus pool. They would need to spend a lot of money to sign Jang, and the cap would not be re-created until next year, so they didn’t know how things would change in the meantime. Then the Dodgers pulled off a stunt. The Dodgers sent two prospects, Aldrin Batista and Maximo Martinez, to the Chicago White Sox. In return, they received the international signing bonus pool.
Exactly how much the Dodgers received was not disclosed, but the White Sox were the only one of the 30 teams in the league with more than $1 million left in the bonus pool. Considering that they gave Jang $900,000 as a signing bonus, local media speculated that the trade freed up about $900,000 and spent it all on Jang. The Dodgers were so desperate for Jang that they sacrificed two of their top prospects. For other teams, it may have felt like a stab in the back.
The Dodgers were confident in Jang’s potential. Since the arrival of current President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers have not only spent big to match the team’s size and name recognition, but have also worked to overhaul their farm system. As a result, the Dodgers farm system, which was in the middle of the league prior to Friedman’s arrival, is now ranked in the upper-middle of the league, if not lower. It varies depending on the players added, graduated, and traded each year, but it’s not uncommon to see it as a top-tier farm.
The Dodgers made a bold bet on Hyun-seok Jang because they thought he could be competitive even in that farm system. Right now, the Dodgers have spent about 15-20% of their international signing bonus pool limit this year on Jang. That’s a lot of money to spend on a player they were confident had the potential to make it to the majors.
We don’t yet know when Jang will be able to make his major league debut. It depends on the level of the team’s farm system. The Dodgers have quite a few right-handers who have already made their major league debuts or are close to doing so. According to Major League Pipeline’s Dodgers prospect rankings, they have seven right-handed pitchers in the top 15. However, most of them won’t make their major league debuts until 2024 or 2025, and Jang Hyun-seok is the next in line.
Given the quality of the Dodgers’ farm system, a quick promotion shouldn’t be any easier than for other teams. In the end, it’s all up to Jang now. The good news is that the Dodgers made a huge investment in him, even trading away their bonus pool, so there will be plenty of interest and expectations going forward.