Just after the massive 2.3 billion won contract, a cold assessment from the U.S. emerged! "Eom Jun-sang must first surpass the 2.6 billion won internal rival → focus on shortstop"

*This content was translated by AI.

The development direction for Eom Jun-sang (18), a top high school baseball prospect from South Korea who realized his dream of joining the Big Leagues by signing a major contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB), has come into focus. The team has assigned Eom Jun-sang the sober, realistic task of focusing on developing him as a 'shortstop' rather than a pitcher for the time being. At the same time, the presence of formidable internal competitors within the minor league system is also being highlighted.

The Arizona team officially announced the news of Eom Jun-sang's contract signing on the 17th (Korea time). This means he has passed the medical test. Eom Jun-sang's side, Reco Sports Agency, also confirmed this. According to multiple U.S. media outlets, Eom Jun-sang's signing bonus is $1.5 million (approximately 2.3 billion won).

According to MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo praised Eom Jun-sang in a press conference, calling him "a very talented player." Manager Lovullo expressed his expectations, saying, "He possesses all the excellent tools, and I fully understand why we wanted him so much. He will join our team system and find his way to the Big Leagues."

However, despite the team announcing Eom Jun-sang as a 'two-way player' at the time of the contract, Manager Lovullo avoided mentioning any immediate plans to use him as a pitcher. He stated, "We generally see him only as a shortstop," clarifying the team's clear development direction.

Eom Jun-sang served as the starting shortstop and a top reliever for the South Korean national team at the U18 Baseball World Cup held in Japan in 2025, showcasing his potential as a two-way player to the world with 3⅔ innings, seven strikeouts, and one save. Although he is a highly polished pitcher resource capable of throwing a fastball with a top speed of 95 mph (approximately 153 km/h), a sharp slider, and a splitter, the team has calculated that it will first maximize the value of his batting talent (2026 weekend league batting champion), which ranked first among 102 high school teams, and his solid shortstop defense.

With the team settling on 'shortstop specialization' for Eom Jun-sang's position, a fierce internal survival competition in the future has become inevitable. According to PIPELINE, the prospect section operated by MLB.com, the person identified as Eom Jun-sang's strongest positional competitor is Ruben Gallego, who is making a name for himself within the Arizona minor league system.

According to the report, Gallego is a top prospect who signed a major contract and joined the team earlier this year, just like Eom Jun-sang. Gallego, who is from Cuba, joined the team for a higher amount than Eom Jun-sang's signing bonus: $1.7475 million (approximately 2.6 billion won). It is a harsh reality that he must surpass Gallego, who is at the highest salary level in the team, to expect a call-up to the Big Leagues for the shortstop position in the future.

PIPELINE also noted, "Only 30 Korean players have ever stepped onto the Major League stage. Among them, the only player to have played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Big Leagues is Kim Byung-hyun, a key figure in the 2001 World Series championship and the team's legendary closer." It remains to be seen whether Eom Jun-sang can break through the high wall of the team's cold assessment and internal competition to become Arizona's new Korean hero.

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*This content was translated by AI.