The Texas Rangers have signed 18-year-old international prospect Kim-sung Joon to a deal with a $1.8 million signing bonus, according to Francys Romero.
He is a two-way player, like Shohei Ohtani, and is dubbed the “Korean Ohtani” according to Romero. He attends Gwangju Jeil High School, according to Naver, a Korean news outlet. Similar to Ohtani, he is forgoing a lot of money to leave Korea early and play in the United States, because, as an international free agent, he can only be given a signing bonus from the team’s allotted international bonus pool. If he had stayed in Korea and played until he was 25, he could have signed a more lucrative deal via the posting system or unrestricted free agency.
According to Naver, he has a 1.17 ERA this year with 31 strikeouts. As a batter, he has a .333 average, 13 hits, a home run, eight RBIs and three stolen bases.
“I’ve been a pitcher and a position player since elementary school, so I don’t have much difficulty,” he said in January, according to Naver. “There is a difference in building the body of a pitcher and a position player, but I invest that much more time and train meticulously. I really want to play both as a pitcher and a position player when I go to the pros. I want to play baseball, which is not easy for others. I really want to show that if Japan has Ohtani, Korea has [me].”
He noted that Ohtani is a role model for his game, but he named another MLB superstar when noting his desire to go straight to MLB.
“The reason I wore the number 13 was because I wanted to emulate Ronald Acuna Jr.’s play,” he said. “It’s true that I feel more attracted to not only the KBO League but also the direct advancement to the major leagues than last year. If I mainly showed scouts my performance as a pitcher last year, I will show them my performance as a position player this year. I also want to challenge myself in cartoon-like baseball, such as playing as a starting shortstop, hitting a game-winning hit, and appearing as a closer to get a save.”
Acuña and Ohtani are a great duo of players to build your game around. Combined, they have four MVP Awards. They are two of the best power-speed combos in the world as well. The Rangers organization will now be tasked with developing Joon as an infielder, hitter and pitcher. Ohtani is strictly a designated hitter, but Joon has a desire to play defense as well.
Photo: Globe Life Park, the home of the Texas Rangers, before opening day of the 2024 season between the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers on March 28, 2024 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
