Should I have gone to Hanwha…Where is the top prospect in the 160km fastball and was it a direct poison to the U.S
Jul 02, 2025
|
Shim Joon-seok, a member of the Miami-affiliated rookie league FCL Marlins, took the mound in relief against the FCL Mets on the 1st (Korea time). He took the mound in relief in the top of the sixth inning with his team leading 5-1 and allowed only two runs with no hits, two walks, and four strikeouts in one ⅔. The team won 7-5, but Shim Joon-seok did not continue the team's good flow in the winning situation.
After all, it's control again. Shim Joon-seok gave up three four outs and threw four strikeouts at the same time. There was no hit that hit the opponent's bats properly. It is no exaggeration to say that he fought Shim Joon-seok himself on the mound.
This year marks Shim Jun-seok's third year in the U.S. He was considered the best prospect when he recorded a maximum speed of 157km when he was a Deoksu student, and he was likely to be the first overall KBO rookie draft in 2023. At that time, the Hanwha Eagles, who had the first nomination right, were preparing to nominate Shim Joon-seok.
Shim, however, chose the U.S. challenge. For a top prospect, the Major League club's offer was bound to be sweet, and it achieved its dream by signing a $750,000 (about 1 billion won) contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hanwha signed Kim Seo-hyun, who was the ace of Seoul High School, due to Shim Joon-seok's departure. The down payment is 500 million won. Kim Seo-hyun was also a pitcher who was classified as a top prospect, and has grown into a closer this year in his third year of joining Hanwha. He has one win, 20 saves, one hold, 38 innings and an ERA of 1.42 in 39 games, helping Hanwha to lead the way. He is emerging as the league's most popular player, ranking first overall in this year's All-Star Best 12 fan voting.
Shim Joon-seok has spent a long time eating teary bread in the minor leagues. This year's rookie league performance is nine games, one save, eight ⅔ innings, and an 8.31 ERA. A difficult performance to even be promoted to Single A. There are 12 strikeouts, but there are 17 four pitches. The hit rate is 0.138. It is certainly a powerful ball if it is zeroed, but there is nothing we can do about it because the control of the ball is shaking.
|
|
MLB.com Scouting Report reports 'Junseok Shim has the potential to grow into a power feature. I know how to mix and throw four pitches, and I can shoot up to 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) and throw comfortably until the middle of 90 miles per hour. He is a pitcher who knows how to rotate the ball well and throws a curve that falls from 12 to 6. I added a stronger slider, and both the curve and slider had very high rotations. Change-up is in the process of trying to be a little more consistent.
Steve Sanders, vice president of Pittsburgh's baseball division, who led Shim Jun-seok's recruitment at the time, said, `Obviously, Shim Jun-seok's ball is thrilled. Having a great shoulder and being fit, we hope he will take a big step forward this year (2023)" he evaluated.
Pittsburgh worked quite hard while correcting Shim's pitching form, but he had eight innings and a 3.38 ERA in four rookie league games in 2023. He lost time due to shoulder injury. He was traded to Miami in July after being on the injured list throughout the first half of last year.
Shim Jun-seok could have played much better than now if he remained in Korea and signed with Hanwha. He must have known, but he chose to suffer when he was young for a bigger dream. It's time to say that the direct trip to the U.S. was poisonous. You can hang in there without shaking and see the light, but it is a future that no one can guarantee. For Shim Jun-seok, only frustrating times are passing by.
|
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
