Suk-Min Yoon Could Join MLB in 2012

Suk-min Yoon, a star pitcher and 2011 MVP of the Korean Baseball Organization, is set to become the latest foreign sensation to join Major League Baseball’s free agent ranks.  According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, Yoon hired Scott Boras and could play in the Majors as soon as 2012.

Being a star player in the Korean Baseball Organization is the epitome of big fish, little pond.  Though Korea has produced Shin-Soo Choo and Chan Ho Park, the league’s competition is considered to be equivalent to the lower Minor Leagues.

Yoon is a little different than Choo and Park, as the duo were signed as teenagers and spent time in the Minors.  Yoon is the first real star Korean player that would be making the transition from the Korean Baseball Organization to Major League Baseball.

According to Passan, Yoon’s 2011 stats including 172 1/3 innings pitched, 178 strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA.  These numbers earned Yoon the honor of being named KBO’s 2011 MVP.  Yoon’s pitching arsenal consists of a fastball that sits at 93 mph, a hard slider and an above-average changeup.

In order for Yoon to pitch in 2012, the 25-year-old would have to be posted by his current team.  If he opts to forgo the posting process, Yoon would have to wait until after next season to hit the free agent market.