"I want to play baseball better." Why did prospects cross the Pacific to the U.S., even with a two-year penalty, after only Choo Shin-soo and Choi Jee-man could smile about their direct trips to America? [Children Heading to America, Part 2]

*This content was translated by AI.

Starting with the successes of Park Chan-ho (54) and Kim Byung-hyun (47), the American dream that swept through Korean baseball in the early 2000s had both bright and dark sides. The bright side was that it introduced Korean baseball to the world stage and raised its level and standards. The dark side was the dozens of top high school-level players who returned without ever stepping foot in the major leagues.

A baseball figure who went to the U.S. in the early 2000s told StarNews, "When I went to the U.S., no one could explain what the minor leagues were like. I had to find my own housing and car, and I spent 18 hours a day on buses while playing games." He added, "There was also a language barrier. The U.S. isn't just for Americans; there are Latin American players too, so I had to speak Spanish. There was also racial discrimination back then. Because daily life was so difficult, it was hard to focus solely on baseball."

In fact, among players who went directly to the U.S. after high school, only Choo Shin-soo (44, retired) and Choi Jee-man (35, Ulsan Whales) are considered to have achieved meaningful results. Even Choo Shin-soo and Choi Jee-man could only smile after passing through all five levels of the minor leagues, from rookie ball to Triple-A. Their tearful success stories served as a significant barrier for younger high school players considering direct trips to the U.S., comparable to countless failure cases. As a result, the number of direct trips, which exceeded 30 from Kim Byung-hyun's debut in 1999 until 2011, dropped sharply to just eight between 2011 and 2020.

However, recently, prospects are once again crossing the Pacific to the U.S. without going through the KBO League. Including Park Chan-min, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB) for $1.205 million (approximately 1.8 billion won) on the 24th (Korean time), there have already been 13 such cases in the past five years alone.

One reason for the change in wind is the improved contract terms. Until now, the amount that top Korean prospects used as a benchmark for going to the U.S. was $1 million (approximately 1.5 billion won). There was a perception that they must receive at least $1 million, considering the uncertain duration of their life in the U.S., personal expenses, and donations for younger players who would not receive KBO support for five years.

Conversely, MLB teams had been reluctant to offer more than $1 million to Korean prospects. Just five years ago, $1 million was the amount received by players ranked in the top 30 of the international amateur signing bonus pool. Moreover, they were also aware of the failure cases of Korean prospects over the past 20 years, so they were hesitant to open their wallets.

However, with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the minor league system was reorganized, and profits were redistributed, leading to a significant improvement in treatment for international prospects. A clear example is that the international amateur signing bonus pool increased by at least $1 million per tier, from $6.431 million (approximately 9.7 billion won) five years ago to $8.0349 million (approximately 12.1 billion won). Thanks to this, even prospects ranked outside the top 50 were able to secure signing bonuses of over $1 million for international amateur contracts this January.

With improved financial conditions, MLB teams are no longer hesitant to invest in Korean prospects. Additionally, interest in the Korean market and the KBO League has increased over the past five years, leading to more visits by senior executives from MLB teams to Korea. Representative teams include the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers. Last year, they sent vice presidents directly to Korea to observe players and brought back Moon Se-jun (19) and Kim Sung-jun (19), respectively.

Another reason is that MLB teams have presented an improved minor league environment and systematic development plans, reducing the burden of failure. During the 2020-2021 period when the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred (68) reduced the number of minor league teams from 160 to 120. Along with this, the MLB office and each team attempted to manage minor league teams directly, leading to controversy over austerity measures.

However, as the reduced costs were reinvested into improving the minor league environment, opposition gradually subsided. The MLB office raised salaries for minor league players and expanded housing support, while also reorganizing teams and leagues to reduce travel distances. MLB teams directly improved their minor league facilities and menus, making the days of Choo Shin-soo and Choi Jee-man, when they had to eat tear-soaked bread, a thing of the past.

Systematic development plans that consider prospects three to five years into the future also swayed the hearts of young prospects. Kim Sung-jun, a two-way prospect who signed with the Texas Rangers last year, is a case in point. Texas confirmed Kim Sung-jun's ambition to pursue both pitching and hitting and presented a training schedule and plan based on the growth process of Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers). A representative example is that while balancing both pitching and hitting due to his incomplete physical development, they imposed limits on the number of pitches and strict rest intervals.

A representative of Kim Sung-jun explained, "Texas said they would never overtrain him for the next two years. They follow a strict schedule: one day for pitching training, two days for hitting training, and three days of rest."

They also created an environment where players can focus solely on baseball. A representative of Kim Sung-jun said, "Thanks to having an English teacher and interpreter every day, my English skills are improving rapidly. Fortunately, I get along well with my friends, and the Texas representative said this is the first time they've seen a player adapt so quickly." He added, "The Texas rookie league facility where I am currently staying was built only three years ago. I have also visited other facilities in Arizona, such as the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, and they were all newly built. The facilities are comparable to those in the major leagues, and players are satisfied."

There is no doubt that young domestic players who have experienced these changes by accessing the latest MLB trends in their rooms and applying them directly to training are aware of them. The scene of amateur baseball in 2026 is that students transfer schools and endure a six-month transfer penalty simply because they want to play baseball better and have a good coach.

Of course, going to the U.S. still carries burdens. Players who sign with foreign professional teams cannot sign contracts with KBO-affiliated teams for two years after their contracts end. This is the so-called two-year penalty under Article 107 of the KBO regulations, "Special Provisions for Players Going Abroad." However, as the contract sizes proposed by MLB have increased, the regulation limiting support funds for alma maters has become virtually meaningless. The restriction on returning to the KBO is also not seen as a decisive barrier that makes players hesitate to go to the U.S. as much as before.

In response to children leaving for better environments, there is a self-mocking reaction from the field that we cannot keep scolding them forever. Just as MLB turned a crisis into an opportunity, there are strong voices calling for the KBO to create an environment where prospects want to go to play baseball better.

[Children Heading to America] Prospects Leaving for America Again: What Is Korean Baseball Missing?

① '13 in 5 Years': The Resumption of Direct Trips by Korean Prospects to the U.S. — There Is No Longer a Reason to Block Them at the Site

② "I Want to Play Baseball Better": Why Did Prospects Cross the Pacific to the U.S., Even with a Two-Year Penalty, After Only Choo Shin-soo and Choi Jee-man Could Smile About Their Direct Trips?

③ KBO Combine, Realization of Signing Bonuses, Abolition of Two-Year Grace Period... The KBO Should Make Going to the U.S. a Matter of Choice, Not Something to Block

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*This content was translated by AI.