Why did Jang Hyun-jin leave for the independent league for the second consecutive KBO unknown shock to join SSG

Jun 12, 2025

Photo = Courtesy of Jang Hyun-jin

Why did such a player have no choice but to leave for the Japanese independent league after 2 consecutive KBO unknowns.

SSG Landers announced its surprise recruitment of players on the 11th. Unfamiliar league and unfamiliar name to fans. It was to bring Jang Hyun-jin, a batter of Kuhu Hayate Ventures Shizuoka in the Japanese professional baseball Western League.

Jang Hyun-jin, who played for the Tokushima Indigo Sox in the Japanese independent league, had 19 hits and four RBIs in 26 games for Hayate this season. The Western League is a Japanese professional baseball league. It is a fairly high-quality league with many pitchers spraying more than 150 kilometers of balls.

He is a player with a lot of stories. First of all, I can't help but wonder why a young and talented player is playing in the Japanese second-tier league.

Jang Hyun-jin graduated from Seoul High School and started the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft, but did not receive any team's nomination. Even though he hit a batting average of 392 in 22 games in his third year of high school, he had to taste bad luck.

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No matter how much the weekend league, why a player with a batting average of nearly 40% did not receive a lower-round nomination. At that time, professional scouts said of Jang Hyun-jin, `He has a good batting talent. However, he evaluated that he lacks power and has an ambiguous defensive position. The swing trajectory, the batting form was excellent. The quality of guessing is born to be. However, he pointed out that Seoul High School lacked a sample of matches against strong teams in the quarterfinals or higher at the national championship due to poor performance at the time, that if it lacks strength, it may not be easy for professionals to make a hit beyond the infield, and that the overall position balance is ambiguous to play as a third baseman.

Players who have not been nominated as professionals usually choose to go to college to try again. It was about choosing between four years and two years. Jang Hyun-jin has been offered to join several two-year universities. But I decided to take a path that no one chose. Go to the Japanese Independent League. He joined Tokushima. Japan also has a considerable level of independent league. It was because I wanted to keep playing professional-level games.

Photo = Courtesy of Jang Hyun-jin

So I spent 2023 in Tokushima. His grades were good, too. And tried again for the 2024 draft. Players who failed in the draft could be re-qualified after graduating from college or playing for independent clubs. Jang Hyun-jin was desperate and was lucky to go to the tryout as an independent league player. But I couldn't show my skills in the tryout, and I had my second snub. At that time, it was said that a player who was difficult to re-qualify was in the tryout, and that he was reluctant to name the team. Of course, if your skills were superior, you wouldn't have said this.

a state of disappointment whether to continue playing baseball. I took the bat again. He headed to Tokushima again last year, and turned his bat harder. And two events occurred that changed Jang Hyun-jin's baseball life.

One is that the Japanese pro baseball has created two new teams that only participate in the second division league. It was a great opportunity for independent league players who dream of becoming professional. Among them, Hayate appreciated Jang Hyun-jin's potential and came to recruit him. Playing in the second-tier league rather than the independent league could help develop players and increase showcase opportunities. It was already possible to catch the attention of Japanese professional teams.

Photo = Courtesy of Jang Hyun-jin

The second is KBO's introduction of the Asian quarter system. For the Asian quarter, which will be implemented next year, KBO club scouts have begun to look at the Western League and the Independent League to prepare for recruiting Japanese players. Just in time, the SSG scout watched the Hayate game, and he accidentally watched Jang Hyun-jin's game here and began considering recruiting him. And as other clubs recently pushed to recruit Jang Hyun-jin, SSG quickly finished the work. Everything went on in just two weeks.

He is still a nurturing player. You have to become an official player to be a real professional. Still, it is precious to have been given the opportunity after many twists and turns. Despite the continuing trials, the unabated desperation eventually led to the fruits of joining the professional team. SSG also paid attention to Jang Hyun-jin's experience in Japanese baseball, desperate attitude, and growth potential," he said, explaining the reason for his recruitment. Jang Hyun-jin's motive is Moon Hyun-bin of Hanwha Eagles. It's a very similar type. The batting is strong, and the defense is weak. However, Moon Hyun-bin was reborn as Hanwha's center hitter this year with one of his strength in the bat. There is no way that Jang Hyun-jin should not be like that.

Photo=SSG LandersCourtesy

Jang Hyun-jin, who was contacted after the decision to join, said "I can only say that it is a real honor to join SSG." It's a start as a nurturing player, but I really want to work hard and become an official player", he expressed his feelings. Then "College life is good, but I chose to go to the independent league because I wanted to improve my ability as a baseball player through real life. At first, it was difficult to adapt, but I endured it by clenching my teeth. In fact, it was very difficult after being eliminated from the draft last year. I also thought, 'Should I give up now?' Still, I only thought of my goal of becoming a professional player and participated in training and games. I'm so happy to be wearing a professional uniform like this."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.