'100% Professional' Pitcher Who Blocked Korean National Team a 'Corporate Employee'? Over 10 Japanese Corporate Players Join NPB Annually... The 'Second Path' That Korea's '10 Million Spectator' Baseball Ignored

*This content was translated by AI.

Must a player's baseball career end simply because he was not selected by a professional team at age 19? The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games left behind not only a gold medal for Korean baseball but also this question.

The South Korean national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun (55), defeated Japan 3-1 in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 27th at Toyota City Citizen Stadium in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. This marks their fifth consecutive championship, following victories in the 2010 Guangzhou, 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2023 Hangzhou (held in 2022) tournaments.

It was not an easy challenge. The biggest crisis came on the 25th during the first Super Round match against Japan. At that time, South Korea suffered a complete defeat with a score of 0-5. The pitcher who held the Korean lineup, composed entirely of professional players, to zero runs over seven innings was not a player from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). It was Higuuchi Shin (24), a left-handed pitcher from Oji, a Japanese corporate baseball team. Instead of relying on a fastball exceeding 150 km/h, Higuuchi dominated the Korean batting order with precise control and excellent speed regulation. Thanks to his performance in the Korea-Japan match, he is now being evaluated as a top candidate for selection in the upcoming October NPB Rookie Draft.

Although it is actually called 'corporate baseball' in Japan, its nature differs from the amateur club baseball often imagined in Korea. It is one pillar of elite baseball where players belong to companies such as Toyota Motor, ENEOS, Nippon Life Insurance, Nippon Steel, and JR, receive salaries, and continue high-level training while participating in national tournaments.

The path to the professional leagues is also solid. According to official announcements from the Japan Baseball Association (JABA) and NPB draft statistics, 15 corporate players were selected by NPB teams in both 2021 and 2022, 14 in 2023, 13 in 2024, and 12 in 2025. For the past five years, the number has never fallen below double digits in any single year.

First-round selections continue to emerge consistently. In 2022, Yoshimura Kojiro (28) of Toshiba was selected first overall by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and in 2023, Watari Ruki (24) of ENEOS was selected first overall by Yokohama DeNA BayStars. In 2024, Ihara Takato (26) of NTT West Japan was selected first by Hanshin Tigers, and Takeda Yu (27) of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries West was selected first by Yokohama. Last year, Takemaru Kazuyuki (24) of Suginomiya Seisakusho entered the professional ranks as a first-round pick by the Yomiuri Giants.

Some players choose corporate baseball as one pathway to professional advancement. Watari Ruki was not selected in the 2020 draft during his third year at Yokohama High School. Instead of attending university, he chose ENEOS. The reason was actually that he wanted to reach the professional leagues even sooner. In an interview with another Japanese sports media outlet 'Number', he stated, "I wanted to get into the pros as soon as possible, even one year earlier. University takes four years, but if you join a corporate team, you can go in three years." During those three years, Watari developed his batting power and contact skills, learned outfield defense in addition to infield play, and became a player for whom three teams—Yokohama, Chunichi Dragons, and Lotte Giants—competed for the first overall pick in the 2023 NPB Draft.

Yoshimura took a slightly different path. According to 'Number', Yoshimura was not selected by any professional team upon graduating from university, so he joined Toshiba. In his first year as a corporate player, he also suffered a right shoulder injury. He rebuilt his body and pitching form during rehabilitation. Although he was not selected in the draft during his second year as a corporate player, after preparing for another year, he received the first-round selection by Yakult in 2022.

The system of Japanese baseball itself guarantees players time to grow. According to official NPB regulations, players affiliated with the Japan Baseball Association cannot sign contracts with NPB teams within two seasons after registration; for high school or middle school graduates, this period extends to three seasons. If a high school graduate joins a corporate team, they must spend at least three years building their skills on the corporate stage before challenging the professional leagues again. For university graduates, it is typically two years.

Former manager Lee Man-soo (68), who watched the game, focused not only on the result of the Korea-Japan match but also on Japan's baseball system. Former Manager Lee explained, "The Japanese players who participated this time are not the kind of corporate baseball players we usually imagine. Although it is actually called 'corporate baseball' in Japan, in simple Korean terms, it is closer to what we call industrial league baseball."

He continued, "Not all players are fully developed at age 19 or 20. Some players grow a bit later, and some only find their own style of baseball when they turn 22 or 23." He emphasized, "A player's baseball career should not end just because they bloom one or two years late."

There are already similar cases in Korea. Lotte Giants right-handed pitcher Park Jeong-min (23) was not selected by a professional team upon graduating from Jangchung High School but wore the Lotte uniform after spending four years at Hansung University, where he was selected 14th overall in the second round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. In an interview with StarNews this year, Park Jeong-min said, "Looking back now, I was a player who needed those four years." He focused on pitch velocity as a freshman, changeups and game management as a junior, and command as a senior. The explanation is that "because of those four years, he was able to prepare systematically and grow."

Until recently, university baseball was often downgraded to merely a 'stage for second chances' for players who were not selected by professional teams upon high school graduation. In actual practice, there was even self-mockery that "all good raw materials have already gone to the pros," since most promising prospects head straight to professional leagues immediately after high school graduation.

However, the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft held in September this year showed another possibility. Among the 110th players selected overall, high school graduates were the largest group with 87, but university players also received professional selections, totaling 22. Of these, four were early draft participants who had challenged the professional leagues before graduation. While attending university may not be the right answer for every player, this year's rookie draft and Park Jeong-min's case are excellent examples showing that there are players whose potential, which could not be confirmed by a single evaluation during high school, blooms several years later.

Then, can we not broaden the path after university as well? Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), manager of LG Twins, recalled his own playing days when industrial league baseball was mentioned last May. Manager Yeom said, "The best thing about our time was that 100% employment was guaranteed upon graduation. Those who wanted to go to the pros went to the pros, and those who wanted to join industrial teams joined industrial teams." He explained the situation of players from that era who continued playing baseball after joining companies like NH Bank and various banks.

He added, "If we activate industrial league baseball, we can create many more opportunities. It means playing baseball while working a regular job. In our country, it is not easy with only independent leagues." He further stated, "In the past, people worked during company hours, played on weekends, and when games were scheduled, they worked in the morning and trained in the afternoon."

Three months later, he also addressed the issue of player development. Manager Yeom said, "Even with talent, if fundamentals are not solid, continuity cannot be achieved. The most important thing in amateur baseball is fundamentals." He pointed out that "in the past, players who built their fundamentals at universities and industrial teams immediately competed for spots on the first division upon joining professional teams, but recently there are many cases where they have to relearn fundamentals after entering the pros."

Of course, simply reviving the old industrial league baseball is not the answer. It cannot be sustained if companies are unilaterally asked to make sacrifices. So, what is the purpose behind Japan's operation of industrial league baseball? The Japan Baseball Association cites improving employee morale and unity, cultivating talent who can contribute to the company and local community, promoting regional sports development, and social contribution as the meanings behind companies operating corporate baseball teams. In inter-university tournaments, not only employees but also families, business partners, and local residents cheer together under the company name. Activities such as baseball clinics are also considered important roles for corporate teams.

It is not necessary for a single large corporation to bear all costs. According to an introduction by the Japan Baseball Association in April this year, last year's Saikei City Softball Club in Oita Prefecture, Japan, was established as a cooperative formed by 12 local companies. These companies hired players and then assigned them to work at construction firms, hospitals, supermarkets, etc. Companies gain young manpower, while players obtain stable jobs after university graduation along with an environment to continue playing baseball. The region expects the effect of retaining its young population.

Now is rarely a better time for Korean baseball to start such discussions. The 2026 KBO League surpassed 10 million spectators in just 565 games last August, the fewest in history. For the first time in history, it has opened an era of 10 million spectators for three consecutive seasons, following 2024 and last year. The popularity of professional baseball is hotter than ever. Now is the time to consider how that enthusiasm can extend beyond the fences of the 10th professional clubs and reach the roots of Korean baseball.

Former Manager Lee said, "I am not saying we should simply copy Japanese baseball. However, we must learn from good systems." He added, "I hope a path for industrial league baseball is created again, where companies accept players, pay them salaries, and allow them to continue playing baseball as in Japan." He further emphasized, "Creating opportunities for players to learn more, grow, and challenge again at universities and industrial teams is one of the ways to further develop and revitalize our country's baseball. A systematic path from high school to university, from university to industrial leagues, and then back to professional baseball must be established."

A structure where a single draft does not determine a player's entire baseball career. As former Manager Lee said, a baseball culture that can also wait for flowers that bloom a bit later may ultimately be the path that makes the roots of Korean baseball even stronger.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.