Shim Junseok release shock, LAD prospect not seen for more than 2 months is safe? Injuries and ball control are holding back

Aug 07, 2025

Shim Junseok release shock, LAD prospect not seen for more than 2 months is safe? Injuries and ball control are holding back
Jang Hyun-seok, a single A under the Los Angeles Dodgers, is currently on the injured list. Photo = MiLB.TV Capture



Shim Junseok release shock, LAD prospect not seen for more than 2 months is safe? Injuries and ball control are holding back
Shim Joon-seok, who took the mound in his debut game in the Pittsburgh Rookie League on June 11, 2023 (Korea Standard Time). Photo = Pittsburgh Pirates SNS Capture
According to KBO data, a total of 63 Korean high school and college players have crossed the Pacific Ocean with the dream of becoming a major league player since Park Chan-ho in 1994. Among them, there are 13 players who have actually entered the big league and played at least one game, starting with Park Chan-ho, Bong Jung-geun, Seo Jae-ung, Kim Sun-woo, Cho Jin-ho, Baek Cha-seung, Choi Hee-seop, Kim Byung-hyun, Choo Shin-soo, Ryu Je-guk, Choi Ji-man, Park Hyo-joon, and Bae Ji-hwan.

Among them, Park Chan-ho, Kim Byung-hyun, and Choo Shin-soo are considered "successful." Although the criteria for success are subjective, there seems to be no major disagreement. In terms of ratios, 20.6% of the 63 players entered the big league and 4.8% of the success. The historical reality is that if you give up the KBO draft and cross it, about 1 to 2 out of 20 people will succeed. In other words, most of them failed and returned to Korea or quit baseball. If you join the KBO club, it is a good case.

This year again, Gwangju Il High School 'Tutta Combined Business' Kim Sung-joon signed a $1.2 million contract with the Texas Rangers in May and will move to the U.S. after graduating early next year to take on a full-fledged challenge.




Currently, there are about five to six Korean amateur players who sweat while looking up at the big leagues in the minor leagues. In the case of Bae Ji-hwan, he is going up and down the big league several times, but he is currently staying in Triple-A.

However, among them, Shim Joon-seok, who played at the rookie level under the Miami Marlins, was released. On the 5th (Korea time), the Miami club announced that it had released rookie-level FCL Marlins right-hander Shim Joon-seok.

Shim Junseok release shock, LAD prospect not seen for more than 2 months is safe? Injuries and ball control are holding back
Shim Jun-seok poses at his joining ceremony in Pittsburgh in January 2023. Photo = Pittsburgh Pirates Club X Account
Shim Joon-seok threw 13 ⅓ innings in 13 games this season, losing three games without a win, with a 10.80 ERA, 23 walks, 8 pitches and 16 strikeouts. The control of the ball and the ability to manage the game itself were hard to be considered professional players. There are more than twice as many four pitches as the pitching innings, and the WHIP reaches 2.40. This is why the Miami club has given up its expectations.




Shortly after Shim moved from the Pittsburgh Pirates to Miami Farm in a trade on July 31 last year, Miami fan media outlet Marlene Maniac'Shim Jun-seok is ranked 20th in the list of prospective My Mamami, but he has all the elements to stand out as a top star or fail depending on whether he grows up.'Shim Jun-seok's rich pitching can make Marlins fans excited in the long run, given that he has a long and above-average starting pitcher development experience.'

Among the two-pronged prospects that this media predicted, negativity appeared as a result. It's a failure.

Korean prospects are struggling in the U.S. for various reasons, including cultural and linguistic factors, aside from their skills. Major League clubs do not closely observe each player and `care' themselves like KBO League clubs. Self-management is completely up to you. In the case of Shim Joon-seok, there were far more days off due to injuries than the days he played in the minor league.




This is why he couldn't get out of the rookie level. Of course, the challenge is not over yet, but it is true that it has become much more difficult than when he joined the team.

Shim Junseok release shock, LAD prospect not seen for more than 2 months is safe? Injuries and ball control are holding back
LA 다저스 장현석. Photo = LA Dodgers Club X Account
Among the minor league Korean players who are currently struggling without promise in the U.S., Jang Hyun-seok, a single A pitcher under the Los Angeles Dodgers, is drawing the most attention. Jang Hyun-seok, who signed with the Dodgers for $900,000 in August 2003 when he was a senior at Yongma High School, pitched 36 ⅔ innings in 18 games (15 starts) at Rookie Level and Single A last year with an ERA of 6.14.

This season, he started 11 games in Single A and pitched 35 ⅔ innings, marking a 4.54 ERA. He gave up 28 walks and struck out 47. WHIP 1.32 and the hit rate is 0.156. The fact that the ERA and WHIP are higher than the hit rate means that the ball control is bad. You can't succeed just because you like the ball.

In addition, Jang Hyun-seok has been on the injured list (IL) since taking the mound on June 2 and has been immersed in rehabilitation for more than two months. Like Shim Joon-seok, he is unable to shake off frequent injuries and ball control anxiety. The two are the same age as each other in 2004, but Shim Joon-seok entered the U.S. a year earlier.

Jang Hyun-seok also has a fastball in the mid-90s, but his jagged control is still a concern. He entered the U.S. and pitched only 72 ⅓ innings in 29 games in a year and a half. It's a stage where you need to gain experience in the game and clean up your ball power, but a waste of time is passing by.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.