Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly sign Korean pitcher Hyun-Il Choi
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly made quite the splash in the international market, signing 17 year old high school pitcher Hyun-Il Choi out of Korea.
Over the past few years, South Korea has started to garner more attention from Major League Baseball. Players from the Korean Baseball Organization have come stateside, and former major league players have traveled overseas to attempt to work their way back. Players like Eric Thames and Jung Ho Kang were able to parlay their success in the KBO to solid production in the majors.
That interest in Korean baseball has extended to the younger players as well. According to reports, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed high school pitcher Hyun-Il Choi to a $300,000 signing bonus.
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Choi certainly appears to be an intriguing prospect. According to Kim, Choi has a fastball in the low 90s, an impressive velocity for someone at his age. The curve needs work, but has a solid difference in velocity from his heater. Choi also has a respectable changeup with downward movement, a pitch that has a great deal of potential.
The Dodgers are hoping to replicate their success with another Korean high school pitcher. Back in 1994, they signed Chan Ho Park, who was immediately considered one of the top prospects in the game. Park went on to post a 84-58 record, along with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.324 WHiP over parts of nine seasons in Los Angeles, striking out 1177 batters in 1279 innings.
Obviously, there is a long way to go before Choi could even be considered the prospect that Park once was. Yet, he has a very projectable frame, as he stands at 6’2″ tall and 200 pounds, leading to the expectation that he will be able to add more velocity to his fastball as he matures. For only $300,000, Choi is a very intriguing talent.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping they have a steal in Hyun-Il Choi. They may very well prove to be correct.