Dodgers Rumors: LA Close to Signing Top Pitching Prospect Out of Korea
Though the Dodgers’ main priority for this offseason will be prying away Shohei Ohtani from the Angels, another international superstar could be the true prize of the offseason.
According to reports from multiple sources in the industry, Los Angeles is the front runner to sign Korean pitching prospect Hyun-suk Jang after he informed the KBO he would forgo their draft for an MLB opportunity.
The Dodgers have been no strangers to signing Asian pitching talent in their history as Hideo Nomo, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chan Ho Park, Hiroki Kuroda and Kenta Maeda are just some of the names that the organization has brought to prominence.
With Jang this trend continues but would bring youthful energy rather than previously signed established superstars in their previous international locations.
Jang, just 19 years old, has good velocity at 97 miles per hour on his fastball and an off-speed repertoire involving a curveball, slider, sweeper and changeup.
While the Boys in Blue haven’t tried to sign a young arm from across the Pacific, they have succeeded with young international pitching talent.
Julio Urias made his Dodger debut in the 2016 season at the young age of 19, matching just how old Jang currently is.
In his seven seasons with the Dodgers, Urias has been named to the All-MLB Second Team twice in the past two seasons, was the NL wins leader in the first of those two years and won the NL ERA crown in the second of them.
Urias also was the pitcher on the mound to deliver the final out in the 2020 World Series, striking out Willy Adames and triumphantly pumping his fist to seal a championship for LA.
Hopefully Jang, if signed by LA, will reflect a similar amount of success for the Dodgers in both the short and long-term.
Photo Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
