‘All 7 are college players’ — From pitcher to catcher, SSG fills every position with developmental contract players! Why did SSG focus on college baseball?

*This content was translated by AI.

KBO League team SSG Landers has signed seven college players as developmental contract players across all positions, from pitcher to catcher and infield/outfield.

On the 1st, SSG announced, “To strengthen roster depth and discover promising talent, we have signed a total of seven new developmental contract players: three pitchers, two infielders, one outfielder, and one catcher.”

Notably, all seven players have experience on the college stage. This aligns with the recent trend of increasing interest from KBO teams in college players. As the growth of this year’s high school seniors did not meet expectations, college players, who are relatively more experienced in actual games, received more attention than in previous years. In particular, it is assessed that the value of college players, who can be expected to adapt to professional baseball relatively quickly, has grown, especially in mid-to-lower rounds or developmental contract signings. Recently, a trend has also emerged where players who were not drafted upon high school graduation are quickly re-challenging the professional stage through two-year colleges.

Among SSG’s current signings, five of the seven are from two-year colleges. On the pitching staff, Bae Si-jun (20, Dongwon University of Science and Technology) posted the most stable college record. The 185cm, 93kg right-hander recorded 7 games, 24⅔ innings, an ERA of 0.72, 23 strikeouts, and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.96 in this year’s Korea University Sports Federation (KUSF) U-League. SSG evaluated him as a starting pitcher resource equipped with diverse pitches and stable command.

Jin Seok-hyun (20), a left-hander from the same school, was chosen based on growth potential rather than current statistics. He possesses an overwhelming physique of 194cm and 105kg. This year in the U-League, he pitched 6⅓ innings over 6 games. SSG focused on the rarity of a tall left-hander and his physical attributes. Park Seo-jun (23), a right-hander from Sungkyunkwan University, boasts high release points and vertical movement stemming from his height of over 190cm. In five U-League games this year, he pitched 14 innings to record a 2-0 win-loss record, an ERA of 3.21, and 16 strikeouts.

The position players also possess distinct strengths. Infielder Choi Woo-seok (22, Daedeok University) is a center-line resource who has primarily played shortstop. He demonstrated power by recording 2 home runs and 4 triplets in this year’s college tournaments. He is also evaluated as having a strong arm. Kim Beom-jun (22, Songwon University) excels in defensive versatility, capable of handling all infield positions. This year in the U-League, he recorded 7 games, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases. Following his selection to the college representative team for the High School-College All-Star Game chosen by scout team leaders from the 10th professional teams, he was also named to the national team for the World University Baseball Championship.

Outfielder Hong Min-gi (20, Yongin National University of Arts and Science) uses his speed as a weapon. In nine U-League games this year, he posted a batting average of 0.360 and an on-base percentage of 0.579, successfully stealing 10 bases. Including all college tournaments, he recorded 15 stolen bases, demonstrating aggressive baserunning ability. Catcher Lee Heon-young (20, Dong-eui University of Science and Technology) was recognized for his defensive and throwing abilities. In this year’s KBO Amateur Baseball Week College Special Match, he hit a two-run go-ahead RBI in the final to be selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

SSG already has an example of confirming the potential of college players. Jung Jun-jae (23), from Dongguk University, was drafted by SSG with the 50th overall pick in the 5th round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft and quickly secured a spot in the first division, becoming one of the success stories among college baseball alumni.

This time, they scanned the college stage again after the formal draft. The composition is diverse, ranging from stable pitchers close to immediate contributors, to the growth potential of tall left-handers, center-line infielders and fast outfielders, and defensive catchers. Through these additional signings, SSG plans to broaden the operational scope of its Futures League team while inducing internal competition to drive the growth of promising players.

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*This content was translated by AI.