"Kim Do-young has been surpassed as well" — Doosan's first-round pick Kim Ji-woo, who turned down a 2 billion won Major League offer to sign a rookie contract for 500 million won... Sets new record as the highest signing bonus in KBO history for a right-handed fielder

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He surpassed both "Boss Bear" Kim Dong-joo (50) and the league's top hitter Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers). The signing bonus well illustrates the high expectations the Doosan Bears have for first-round rookie Kim Ji-woo (18, Seoul High School).

On Tuesday the 13th, the Doosan Bears completed contracts with 11 rookies for the 2027 season, including Kim Ji-woo. The first-round pick, infielder Kim Ji-woo, was granted a signing bonus of 500 million won, the highest in KBO League history for a right-handed fielder.

Surpassing the 450th million won bonuses paid to legendary third basemen Kim Dong-joo (1998, OB) and Jeong Sang-ho (2001, SK), whom Kim Ji-woo has openly cited as his "role models," he wrote a new page in KBO history.

Even including left-handed batters, the amount ties the all-time record for the highest fielder signing bonus set by Kang Hyuk (1993, OB) and Na Seung-yeop (2021, Lotte), and is 100 million won more than Kim Do-young's 400 million won in 2022.

Kim Ji-woo is a prospect with exceptional potential, having received offers from multiple Major League teams totaling 170 million dollars (approximately 2 billion 1.5 million won). However, Kim expressed his intention to begin his playing career in the KBO League, and the Doosan Bears selected him without hesitation with the second overall pick. They made a definitive judgment on his talent, choosing a fielder for the third consecutive year over numerous pitching prospects.

Although he showcased two-way performance in high school, the team views his potential as a fielder more highly, to the extent that General Manager Kim Tae-ryong firmly designated him as an "infielder."

This year in the high school league, Kim Ji-woo performed brilliantly as a batter, posting a .422 batting average (19 hits in 45 at-bats), 2 home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases in 14 games, along with an on-base percentage of .444, a slugging percentage of .689, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.133. As a pitcher, he was somewhat disappointing, recording a 2-1 record with a 4.91 ERA in 8 games, striking out 15 batters in 11 one-third innings.

Kim Ji-woo stated his ambitions, saying, "I sincerely thank the Doosan Bears organization for their generous treatment. I feel a sense of responsibility commensurate with the expectations the team has placed on me. I will grow into a player who represents the Bears."

Second-round pick catcher Seol Jae-min (Deoksu High School) signed for 170 million won. Third-round pitcher Jung Hyeon-woo (Dong-eui College of Science and Technology) signed for 120 million won, and fourth-round pitcher Lee Seok-young (Dong-eui College of Science and Technology) signed for 90 million won.

Additionally, fifth-round pick Jo Han-gyeol (Sunlin Internet High School, pitcher) signed for 70 million won, sixth-round pick Kim Do-yoon (Gwangju Dongseong High School, pitcher) signed for 60 million won, and seventh-round pick Park Jun-seo (Seoul Convention High School, infielder) signed for 0.5 billion won. Eighth-round pick Kim Dong-hwan (Seoul Dongsan High School, pitcher) and ninth-round pick Lee Min-jun (Inha University, outfielder) each signed for 0.4 billion won, while tenth-round pick Kim Jun-woo (Sungkyunkwan University, outfielder) and eleventh-round pick Lee Seung-min (Busan High School, pitcher) each signed for 30 million won.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original