"It's not about eliminating it entirely." The 67-home-run major leaguer returning to the KBO stands firm: Why did Choi Ji-man call for improvements to the two-year deferral rule for overseas players?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

With his entry into the Korean KBO League just around the corner after 17 years, Choi Ji-man (35, Ulsan Whales) shared his candid thoughts on the two-year deferral rule that delays the return of promising players who head straight to the United States.

Recently, at the Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan, Choi met with StarNews and expressed excitement about the upcoming rookie draft: "It's strange. It feels like a very happy thing. Even when I was playing in Major League Baseball, I often thought about playing in Korea."

Choi Ji-man is one of the few players who went straight overseas after high school graduation and achieved success. After graduating from Dongsan High School, he signed with the Seattle Mariners as an international amateur free agent in 2009. After a long minor league career, he made his big league debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. Since then, he has played for seven teams, compiling a career record of .234 batting average, 67 home runs, 238 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.764 across 525 games.

After a long wait, Choi Ji-man has qualified to participate in the 2027 rookie draft and will take part in the tryout scheduled for September 1 at the National Baseball Training Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. As Choi's return to Korea becomes more realistic, the two-year deferral rule for overseas players has once again become a hot topic. In fact, six promising players are on the verge of heading to the United States this year alone. First, right-handed pitcher Park Chan-min (18, 1.205 million dollars) from Gwangju Ilgo High School started his journey with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Following him, shortstop Eom Jun-sang (18, 1.5 million dollars) from Deoksu High School signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, outfielder Shin Hee-ju (18, contract amount undisclosed) from Cheongdam High School joined the Milwaukee Brewers, and shortstop Nam Hyun-woo (18, 600 thousand dollars) from Seoul Convention High School headed to the Detroit Tigers. Additionally, right-handed pitcher Kwon Si-woo (18) from Jangchung High School is in final negotiations with the Toronto Blue Jays, while Laon High School's two-way player Cho Sung-cheol (18) is in talks with the New York Yankees.

The main reason is that MLB clubs have increased signing bonuses and improved the minor league environment by offering better salaries, housing support, facilities, and transportation. In the past, failure to go to the United States often led to a crisis in a player's career, but now systematic development programs and better environments are being offered together.

Additionally, this year has seen increased interest in Korean prospects due to the issue of establishing an international prospect draft resulting from the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the MLB Office and the Players Association (MLBPA), which will be held in December, as well as the fact that prospects from China, South America, Taiwan, and other regions have not shown significant improvement.

For the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), this is a dilemma. With a limited pool of prospects, even if just one or two top players head to the United States, it could shake up the rookie draft landscape. However, there are also voices suggesting that instead of focusing on how to prevent overseas challenges, we should now consider how experienced players can contribute back to Korean baseball.

Choi Ji-man, directly involved in the issue, cautiously offered his opinion. He said, "There is a rule that prevents players from playing for two years after returning from abroad, and I do not oppose it. However, I also oppose completely eliminating it." He added, "I think some improvement might be necessary."

According to Article 107 of the current KBO regulations, titled "Special Provisions for Players Going Abroad," players who sign contracts with foreign professional clubs cannot sign player contracts with KBO-affiliated clubs within two years after their contract ends. They also cannot sign manager or coach contracts with KBO clubs as coaches for seven years.

This regulation was created to protect the domestic league and prevent the indiscriminate outflow of prospects. Choi Ji-man acknowledged the intent behind the rule itself. However, he pointed out that by the time players decide to return after pursuing overseas challenges, they are often already in their mid-to-late twenties, and taking another two-year break could cause them to lose their prime playing years.

Choi Ji-man stated, "That age would likely be after 27, which is a period that could be considered the peak of a player's career. Taking a break during this time is problematic." He continued, "Of course, going overseas is a choice made by the players themselves, so I cannot say much about it. Still, I think some improvement might be necessary."

The KBO League market has also changed. With two consecutive years of over 10 million spectators, the competitiveness of domestic professional baseball has grown stronger than before. In fact, there are many top prospects who chose to stay in the KBO despite receiving active offers from MLB clubs. For example, two-way player Ha Hyun-seung (18) from Busan High School, Kim Ji-woo (18) from Seoul High School, left-handed pitcher Park Geun-seo (18) from Seoul Design High School, right-handed pitcher Yoon Ye-sung (18) from Inchang High School, and right-handed pitcher Kwak Do-hyun (18) from Busan Technical High School all chose to remain in Korea despite interest from the big leagues.

Therefore, there are calls at the field level to reevaluate whether maintaining the current overseas player regulations based solely on the logic of "preventing prospect outflow" from over 20 years ago is appropriate. Choi Ji-man also spoke about his juniors first.

He said, "If the KBO makes some improvements, players in the minor leagues could boldly return to Korea when they feel it's not working out for them. I'm not saying this should apply to me personally. Even if I follow the current system, I hope my juniors will see improvements in a slightly different direction."

The key lies in whether experiences gained overseas can be utilized as assets for Korean baseball. While Korean baseball brings in foreign players and coaches to learn advanced systems, it maintains high barriers for the return of Korean players and coaches who have directly gained experience abroad.

A high school coach pointed out, "It doesn't make sense to bring in foreign players and coaches to help develop Korean baseball while simultaneously blocking opportunities for our own players who learned abroad to play and teach."

Choi Ji-man also explained, "If players with overseas experiences return to Korea and utilize those experiences, it would be helpful rather than harmful. Just as players go abroad for training after retirement, I think the reverse—players with overseas experiences returning—could also contribute to the development of Korean professional baseball."

The era in which simply preventing prospects from going overseas could safeguard the future of Korean baseball is over. Now is the time to consider what departing players have learned and how Korean baseball can effectively utilize their experiences upon their return.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original