Kium Heroes games have always attracted more major league scouts than any other club. Will the Major League Baseball Academy’s reputation continue?
The Heroes have produced major leaguers such as Kang Jeong-ho, Park Byung-ho, and Kim Ha-seong. They all started out as prospects with the Heroes and became top players in the league before being transferred through the posting system.
This season, Lee has a challenge ahead of him. Major league teams have already evaluated Lee. He has consistently been a favorite of major league scouts since his debut, and he has proven it in international competitions such as the Asian Games, Olympics, WBC, and Premier12. After finishing his last season, Lee officially announced his decision to go overseas through the posting system after the 2023 season in consultation with his club. Choi could follow in the footsteps of his close senior Kim Ha-sung.
In fact, major league scouts have been flocking to Kiwoom games this year. The status of scouts visiting Korean ballparks is slightly different. Some scouts live in Korea and are hired by major league teams, while others oversee all of East Asia, including Korea and Japan. Others travel directly from the scouting organization’s headquarters at the level of team manager or higher. In the case of direct dispatches from the U.S., it’s usually to observe a player of high interest 메이저놀이터.
While it is difficult to keep track of all the scout visits, some clubs use club-provided seats, while others purchase their own seats to get a closer look at the players. Recently, an American scout was seen on the broadcast screen measuring his velocity with a personal speed gun behind the catcher.
The Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies are the only major league teams to have visited Keum’s home games this year.
Other clubs are often visited by international scouts, but it’s definitely the case that Kiwoom’s games are the most heavily attended. As such, there are a lot of players on the radar. It’s not just Lee Jung-hoo, but also Ahn Woo-jin, Kim Hye-sung, and foreign hitter Edison Russell, who has been playing well this season.
Of course, scouts don”t always reveal the purpose of their visits to Korean stadiums. Sometimes they go to Japan and then stop in Korea. One club official said, “There are a lot of Japanese players that the major leagues are interested in this year. It’s not uncommon to see them in Japan and then stop by Korea to check the performance of key players,” said a team representative.
However, it is clear that major league teams are interested in Kiwoom’s core players. Kiwoom is also cautious, but they are fully aware of this atmosphere. They are receiving the most overwhelming interest out of all the teams. Starting with Lee Jung-hoo, it is expected to continue.