KBO Combine, Realistic Rookie Signing Bonuses, and Abolition of Two-Year Suspension... Korean Prospects Heading to the U.S. Should Be Made a Choice, Not a Barrier to Be Stopped [Children Heading to America ③]

*This content was translated by AI.

The challenge by Korean baseball prospects to the U.S. has become a reality once again. Major League Baseball (MLB) has raised signing bonuses and gradually reduced uncertainty, making it an attractive option for prospects.

The KBO League faces a crisis. Due to a relatively weak pool of prospects compared to the U.S. and Japan, even one or two players heading to MLB can change the atmosphere of that year's rookie draft. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Park Chan-min (18, Gwangju Ilgo) would join the Philadelphia Phillies, and rumors circulated that 3 to 4 other players were also drawing interest.

Now, the KBO League needs to shift its approach from how to stop prospects from leaving to how to encourage them to come. The situation is very different from the early 2000s, when the league worried about the future due to the outflow of prospects. The baseball fever, proven by 10 million spectators for two consecutive years, showed that the KBO League is no longer a market that can be easily shaken. In fact, many of the top high school prospects who were tempted by MLB chose to stay in the country.

At such times, it is necessary to bring up the discussions that were ignored and halted. The first is the two-year suspension for players returning to the KBO after going overseas and the seven-year restriction on coaches. According to Article 107, Section 1 of the KBO regulations, 'Special Provisions for Players Going Abroad,' a player who signs a contract with a foreign professional team cannot sign a contract with a KBO-affiliated team for two years from the date the contract with the foreign professional team ends. Furthermore, they cannot sign a manager or coach contract with a KBO-affiliated team for seven years.

These regulations, created to protect the domestic league and prevent the indiscriminate outflow of prospects, have deprived prospects of even the opportunity to utilize the valuable experience they gained on a big stage in their home country. As Taiwanese baseball, which has been relatively active in overseas expansion, shows growth on the international stage, voices are growing louder calling for a reevaluation of Korea's closed approach. In response, a high school coach A pointed out, "It doesn't make sense to bring in foreign players and coaches for the development of Korean baseball while blocking our own players who have learned directly from them from having the chance to play and teach."

Another issue is the need for realistic rookie signing bonuses. With contracts exceeding $1 million starting with Jang Hyun-seok (22, Los Angeles Dodgers), the rationale for prospects to stay in Korea is weakening. Last year, Park Jun-hyun (19), who was selected first overall in the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft and joined the Kiwoom Heroes, received a signing bonus of 700 million won. This is a joint third-highest rookie signing bonus record in KBO history. However, before deciding to stay, an MLB team offered him a maximum of $2 million (approximately 3 billion won).

The number one rookie signing bonus in KBO League history remains at 1 billion won for the 2006 KIA Tigers, a record from 20 years ago. The 700 million won received by Park Jun-hyun is the same amount received by Im Sun-dong (then LG Twins) in 1997, Kim Jin-woo (then KIA Tigers) in 2002, and Yu Chang-sik (Hanwha Eagles) in 2011. KBO scout B said, "The signing bonus issue cannot be ignored. Contracts of over 500 million won were made 20 or 30 years ago and remain unchanged. Considering the inflation that has risen over the past 20 years, the value of the signing bonus has decreased. If we can offer even something similar to the U.S., wouldn't most top prospects stay?"

Before making rookie signing bonuses realistic, a prerequisite condition exists: data measurement to accurately assess a player's value. However, scouts from both the KBO and MLB unanimously state that this is impossible under the current system where information access is restricted.

According to the professional-amateur agreement between the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), pre-contact with rookie draft targets by KBO teams is prohibited. This includes not only specific discussions related to contracts but also medical checks, which could be considered tampering. This differs from MLB teams, which can make pre-contact with the player's agent through background checks.

KBO scout B expressed frustration, saying, "MLB scouts can conduct physical measurements and medical tests on prospects once they pass a background check. But for us, even asking a player to jump constitutes tampering. Recently, there are people visiting high schools to measure players' physical abilities, but KBO scouts are not allowed to do so."

MLB scouts are not entirely free to move either. Although pre-contact is allowed by regulations, it is difficult because it requires obtaining consent from the player and the school. MLB scout C expressed regret, saying, "Once a background check is completed through the MLB office and the KBSA, we can meet the player freely for a month to collect data. But reality is not like that."

Therefore, a solution proposed among on-site personnel is a KBO version of the Draft Combine. This event, which gathers prospects for the upcoming rookie draft in one place for physical examinations and skill verification, is a familiar system in American professional sports. MLB introduced it only in 2021 after biomechanics specialists were late to the scene. Through this event, KBO and MLB teams can measure players in the same location and under the same standards. Standardizing data such as physical measurements, medical checks, pitch velocity, spin rate, batted ball speed, sprint speed, and jump height can also reduce the risk of injuries to prospects caused by indiscriminate testing by individual teams.

Another KBO scout D explained, "Surprisingly, many get injured during the medical testing process. Younger players tend to push themselves too hard to show off. The more times this is repeated, the more injuries will inevitably occur."

As another alternative, there are opinions to hold an early nationwide one-round draft, similar to the past first-round draft system. This would give KBO teams the opportunity to present their vision and conditions to first-round level players first. Players can also compare options on an equal footing.

KBO scout B said, "Players heading to the U.S. usually decide in May or June, while the KBO rookie draft is held in September. Since only about one or two players challenge the U.S. each year, it would be fine to select just the top 10 first-round picks early." He added, "Of course, there is a burden on the teams. Prospects can grow suddenly, so if we pick them early in May or June, we might miss such players. However, I believe discussions like this are necessary."

Until now, Korean baseball has been accustomed to stopping prospects who leave for overseas in pursuit of better baseball. Of course, in this process, there were meaningful achievements where prospects who stayed in the country grew and strengthened the KBO League, eventually leaping to Major League Baseball. However, recent international tournament results suggest that this direction has also reached its limits.

Now, the KBO League must not scare away the children leaving but create reasons for them to want to stay. It is about building an attractive league where players themselves choose to stay in the country, not through external conditions or penalties. That is the next challenge Korean baseball must not miss.

[Children Heading to America] Again, Prospects Leaving for the U.S., What is Korean Baseball Missing?

① '13 in 5 Years' Korean Prospects Directly Heading to the U.S. Restarted; Now Even the On-Site Has 'No Reason to Stop'

② "I Want to Play Baseball Better" Why Did Prospects Cross the Sea to the U.S., Even with a Two-Year Penalty, When Choo Shin-soo and Choi Ji-man Only Smiled?

③ KBO Combine, Realistic Signing Bonuses, Abolition of Two-Year Suspension... Korean Prospects Heading to the U.S. Should Be Made a Choice, Not a Barrier to Be Stopped

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*This content was translated by AI.