*This content was translated by AI.
A top Korean high school baseball prospect has chosen to go directly to Major League Baseball (MLB) instead of the KBO League draft. Eom Jun-sang (18), the star shortstop of Deoksu High School, has taken his first step toward the big leagues by donning the uniform of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Arizona Diamondbacks officially announced the signing of Eom Jun-sang on the 17th (Korean time), confirming that he has passed the medical test. Eom's side, Rico Sports Agency, also confirmed the news. According to multiple U.S. media outlets, Eom's signing bonus is $1.5 million (approximately 2.3 billion won).
With this, Eom becomes the first Korean player to join the Arizona Diamondbacks immediately after graduating from high school since pitcher Kim Jae-yoon (36, Samsung Lions) signed with the team as a catcher in 2009.
Eom is a top-tier high school baseball star known as one of the 'Big Three' competing for the first overall pick in the '2027 KBO Rookie Draft' alongside Ha Hyun-seung of Busan High School and Kim Ji-woo of Seoul High School. He previously received the 'Miracle Star Award' alongside Ha Hyun-seung at the '2025 Futures Star Awards' hosted by StarNews in November last year. After weighing options between the domestic and U.S. stages, he chose to pursue the major leagues.
According to Rico Sports Agency, after finalizing the contract, Eom visited Chase Field, the home stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., where he held a meeting with manager Torey Lovullo, followed by an official signing press conference.
At the official signing ceremony, Eom said, "It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to challenge the major leagues, which I have dreamed of. I am grateful to the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for giving me this great chance." He added, "As I still have much to improve, I will prepare and learn harder than anyone else. I will steadily progress from the minor league level, grow step by step, and repay the organization by appearing on the big league stage."
Eom is a large-scale shortstop prospect equipped with stable infield defense, a wide defensive range, and strong throwing ability. He is also recognized for his power-hitting capability and precise contact skills, earning evaluations that he possesses immense growth potential on both offense and defense.
The Arizona Diamondbacks organization is also reported to have highly evaluated Eom's exceptional athletic ability and future development potential. The team plans to fully support Eom's growth into one of the best players in the major leagues by activating a systematic development system in the future.
It remains to be seen what kind of growth story this next-generation shortstop prospect of Korean baseball will write at Arizona, the same team as 'nuclear submarine' Kim Byung-hyun (47).
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*This content was translated by AI.
