Korean 2-way star reveals why he rejected Blue Jays’ $1 million-plus offer
Article excerpt
Kim Ji-Woo is the latest in a long line of promising two-way prospects to emerge from the amateur ranks since Shohei Ohtani arrived from Japan. Kim, 18, reportedly received an offer north of $1 million from the Toronto Blue Jays,…
Kim Ji-Woo is the latest in a long line of promising two-way prospects to emerge from the amateur ranks since Shohei Ohtani arrived from Japan.
Kim, 18, reportedly received an offer north of $1 million from the Toronto Blue Jays, among other potential MLB suitors.
Instead, he will stay at home and enter the KBO draft, according to a post on Kim’s Instagram account June 21.
MORE: Nationals’ World Series champion announces immediate retirement from MLB at 31
“I recently received generous offers from several MLB teams who believed in my potential, and I came close to signing. However, I have decided to respectfully decline the MLB offers and instead enter the KBO rookie draft,” Kim wrote, according to a translation provided by KBO in English on Twitter/X. “What I want most is to play in Korea’s passionate ballparks, and hearing the cheers from the fans. I felt that the right order is to prove myself as a good player on the KBO stage and earn recognition from KBO fans.”
The same account reported that the Doosan Bears project to take Kim with the number-2 pick in the forthcoming KBO draft. The Kiwoom Heroes could change that by drafting Kim at number-1.
MORE: Phillies sign former Dodgers prospect, 27, after monster month
In the long run, Kim’s chances of making MLB as a two-way player, rather than a pitcher or hitter exclusively, might be helped by beginning his career in Asia.
Ohtani’s Japanese team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, allowed him to thrive in both disciplines by carving out a unique routine for him. By the time the Fighters allowed Ohtani to sign with an MLB team during the 2017-18 offseason, he had already proved himself capable as both a hitter and a pitcher against a high level of competition.
MORE: Trevor Bauer leaves Long Island Ducks after less than three months
The same opportunity hasn’t yet been given to North American teenagers who have the talent to excel as both a hitter and a pitcher. That might be because their MLB organization has convinced them to follow a pitching- or hitting-only track. Maybe their small-sample results in the minor leagues didn’t justify further development in one discipline or the other.
Regardless, Kim’s track might be the most viable if he ultimately wants to reach MLB as both a hitter and a pitcher. For now, however, he’ll stay in Korea.