The Los Angeles Dodgers began their season with a trip to South Korea to face off against the San Diego Padres in front of sold out crowds at the Gocheok Sky Dome for the Seoul Series.
The debut of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the Dodgers was also met with the hype of Major League Baseball’s Opening Day. A number of former franchise icons were in attendance, including Hyun-Jin Ryu and Chan Ho Park, who threw out the initial first pitch.
For prized Dodgers prospect Hyun-Seok Jang, the Seoul Series was a full-circle moment. Growing up in South Korea, Jang watched the pair break into MLB with the Dodgers, via Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider:
“I want to thank Chan Ho Park and Hyun-Jin Ryu for being South Korean players and showing the way before me,” Jang said. “And I want to work as hard as possible to get to where they were before.”
Jang noted that growing up in Korea, Ryu’s starts were often televised, leading to his affinity for the Dodgers organization. Park, being the first Korean-born Major League player, paved the way, and now all three share similar career pipelines.
Jang had the opportunity to start his professional career in Korea, but he bypassed the KBO draft, opting to sign with the Dodgers. He’s currently within their top-20 prospects according to various rankings.
The right-handed possesses an impressive physical frame, with a fastball that touches 97, with a slider, sweeper, curveball and changeup.
He made seven appearances this season at the High School level, going 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA while striking out 49 hitters and walking 12. He allowed just one earned run in 27.1 innings.
Hyun-Seok Jang was surprised to sign with the Dodgers
Jang would have likely been a top selection in the 2023 KBO Draft, but forgoing that route and making himself available to sign with a big league team put him in coveted international prospect status.
The Dodgers were able to land Jang for a $900,000 signing bonus, and was formally introduced to the franchise in August.
There were a number of teams interested in him, but Jang revealed that he was surprised the Dodgers made as strong of a push as they did, calling it an honor to be with the club.
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