Shim Jun-seok, who agreed to a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, was evaluated as the fastest-growing pitcher among promising pitchers in Pittsburgh.
On the 23rd (hereinafter referred to as Korean time), Fanside’s ‘Rum Bunter’, which covers Pittsburgh news, introduced Shim Jun-seok with the title, ‘There are some young and talented prospects in the Pittsburgh minor league system. Who can grow the fastest?’
The media picked three players who will grow the fastest among Pittsburgh prospects under the age of 20, and among the pitchers, Shim Jun-seok was mentioned first.
“On the pitching part,” Rum Bunter said, “a few players stand out. The first is Shim Jun-seok, the team’s newest top international amateur contractor. The Korean prospect opted out of the KBO League draft and went to the US instead.” “Sim Jun-seok has been rated as the top international amateur pitcher by many articles, and for good reason. He throws a 94-96 mph fastball and hit 100 mph before his 20th birthday. His curveball is a true ’12- He has the look of ‘6. His slider and two changeups have feel and are average to above average.” 안전놀이터
The media continued, “Shim Jun-seok is already in a strong physique with a height of 194 cm and 103 kg. He has decent athleticism and a clean delivery. He’s not just a fireballer without command. He showed decent control on all four pitches and can still sharpen his location. At 18, he already feels good with four pitches and it’s impressive to have more than that. He already has decent control, but the fact that he has room to grow is another reason why he could be one of the fastest rising prospects.”
Shim Jun-seok, who is about to enter the Pittsburgh PNC Park on the 26th, has not pitched a single game in the Pittsburgh Minor League. He was evaluated by watching his performance until his senior year of high school, and it is meaningful that he was mentioned as the first choice over prospects playing in the Pittsburgh minor leagues.
The media picked Michael Kennedy after Shim Jun-seok. The media said, “The other pitcher is Michael Kennedy. Pittsburgh drafted him in the fourth round of last year’s draft. He was rated as one of the best college lefties in his draft class.
” Instead of hitting over 90 mph in his late teens, Kennedy threw between 89 and 91 mph, with a high of 92 mph. He attacks the zone with a ball with good spin. If his fastball velocity accelerates to 91-94 mph, his fastball will be an above-average pitch. His slider is an above-average pitch, and he has a good changeup. He also has above average control. He is slightly smaller than Shim Jun-seok. Johnson has a pretty high ceiling, which is why Pittsburgh needed an overslot deal to sign him when he was going to LSU.”
Among the hitters, I picked Termar Johnson. The media said of Johnson, “It will be the most popular answer as the fastest growing player. He already has many of the characteristics of a mature and disciplined hitter. MLB Pipelines featured a scout’s comment, comparing Wade Boggs’ hitting technique to Vladimir Guerrero Sr.’s plate range.”
“Some scouts say Johnson’s contact ability is top notch. But strictly speaking, he is not a contact heater. He chooses a lot of walks and avoids strikeouts. He has the potential to hit 20 homers or more. The MLB pipeline even rated him as having the best power among second base prospects (30 clubs).”
Johnson played in the Rookie League and Single-A last year, posting a batting average of 2.22 (14 in 63), 1 home run, 6 doubles, and an OPS of .731 in 23 games.