November 21, 200421 yr Korean's eye on big league jump Slugger Shim becomes free agent; MLB clubs interested By Joe Connor / Special to MLB.com?? ?? Jong-Soo Shim caught the attention of a number of former Major Leaguers during his brief Spring Training stint with the Marlins in 2003. (Craig Jones/Getty Images)? SUWON, South Korea -- For nearly a decade, Korean slugger Jong-Soo Shim has been waiting patiently for an opportunity to test his skills in the Major Leagues. He's now one step closer to that reality. On Nov. 21, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound right fielder became a free agent for the first time in his professional career. Multiple Major League teams have expressed interest in the 29-year-old, according to Shim's agent, John Kim of SFX, the mega-agency that also represents Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez. Despite missing the first two months of this season with a knee injury, Shim posted a .256 average and .385 on-base percentage with 22 home runs and 74 RBIs for the Hyundai Unicorns in the final year of his Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) contract. In 2003, Shim led Hyundai to the Korean Series title with a .335 average, 53 homers and 142 RBIs. Earlier in 2003, he batted .307 (4-for-13) with a homer and three RBIs in Spring Training for the Florida Marlins, winning the endorsement of former Major Leaguers Tony Perez, Ozzie Guillen and Tim Raines. "They said, 'You can play here; we really want to see you next year,'" said Shim, who is fluent in English. "At that moment, it was 100 percent in my mind I was going to play in the Major Leagues." But Korean pros are locked into a seven-year contract before they can be posted to a Major League team and nine years before they can test free agency. Shim tried to persuade Unicorns executives to post him following the 2003 season, but he was turned down. He had made the same request after a 2002 campaign in which he hit 46 homers and had 119 RBIs to go along with a .321 average. Shim is also considered an exceptional defensive outfielder with the best arm in the KBO. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2002 and 2003 (2004 winners have yet to be announced). Complete coverage > Shim said he has been dreaming about playing Major League Baseball since late 1994, when he was invited to participate for 50 days with the St. Louis Cardinals' Instructional League team in Florida. By 1997, Shim was a regular in the weight room, pumping iron before and after games and for up to 90 minutes every day in the offseason. He also eliminated fast foods and fried foods from his diet, and began a protein-focused approach that he took to the extreme. Within a year, Shim was to eggs what future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was to chicken, engulfing up to 20 hard-boiled eggs per day. By the 1998 season, Shim had added 20 pounds of muscle and was being referred to by his teammates simply as "Eggman." The Korean baseball media soon had its own nickname for Shim: "Hercules." His workout routines and diet have since been imitated by other players in the KBO. While there's little doubt Shim has the physique to play in the Major Leagues, the big question is how his offensive numbers would translate in North America. Pitcher Chan Ho Park was the first Korean-born player to join the Majors, but the professional ranks have yet to export a slugger. Dodgers first baseman Hee-Seop Choi never played professional baseball in his native Korea, signing with the Cubs out of high school. Last winter, Major League teams balked at signing five-time KBO Most Valuable Player Seung Yeop-Lee to a multi-year, multi-million-dollar Major League contract. This, despite the fact Lee shattered Sadaharu Oh's Asian single-season home run record with 56 in 2003. Disappointed at the contract offers from Major League teams, Lee, 28, ended up signing a multi-year contract with Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines, playing under former Mets manager Bobby Valentine in 2004. But Lee's debut season in Tokyo was marred by inconsistency, eventual removal from the starting lineup and even an embarrassing demotion to the minors. In 100 games in 2004, he batted just .240 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs. "The biggest obstacle is, MLB scouts don't think the KBO's level is equivalent to Japan," said Kim, who is certainly aware that there is now some evidence of that in Lee's numbers. "How quickly could [shim] make the adjustment [in MLB]?" A pair of former Major League pitchers who have faced Shim in the Korean league believe the right fielder has more plate discipline than Lee, who was demoted to the Japanese minors mainly to improve his inconsistent swing and boost his confidence. Shane Bowers, who pitched for the Twins, said Shim's style is more suited for the North American game and that he will only improve, with his work ethic and raw power among his key traits. Former Yankees pitcher Daniel Rios added that Shim has tremendous plate discipline. Despite Lee's disappointing first season in Japan, teams there have contacted Kim expressing interest in Shim's services. But Shim has said he is not interested in playing next season in the Land of the Rising Sun. He is also being courted by other Korean teams, and likely would demand the highest baseball salary on the Korean peninsula should he return ($500,000-$1 million per year). Would Shim be willing to take equal, or even less money in the U.S., and also start in the minors to prove his worth? "He's going to keep his options open; he just wants a shot," Kim explained. "For him, it's about [getting] an opportunity to play in the big leagues. He's been non-stop talking about it." i'd definitely like to see him here, especially for cheap at 1 million or under he's at least worth a shot
November 21, 200421 yr I didnt read the whole article only what you put in Bold. Is he a Lefty? And what position in the OF does he play?
November 21, 200421 yr Author I didnt read the whole article only what you put in Bold. Is he a Lefty? And what position in the OF does he play? 619201[/snapback] right field :shifty
November 21, 200421 yr Heres rotoworld's take: Korean right fielder Jong-Soo Shim, who took part in spring training with the Marlins in 2003, is interested in jumping to MLB. Shim, 29, hit just .256 with 22 HR and a .385 OBP while being limited by a knee injury last season. The year before, he hit .335 with 53 homers. Those are Korean numbers, though, and the Korean League's level of play is considered to a step down from the Japanese Leagues. Maybe some teams will be interested in Shim, but he's unlikely to receive much guaranteed money or be guaranteed a starting job.
November 21, 200421 yr Author he could make it on the team, and anyone's better than Juan E. he's certainly not commanding anything over one million his OBP was .385, when he was injured
November 21, 200421 yr I say it's a good idea. We can't get hurt anyways. He's worth a try. And I don't think it's hard to be better than Juan Encarnacion so we'll probably be getting a better player for less money.
November 21, 200421 yr I'm guessing he is a righty because otherwise his agent would make sure all reports on him had LEFTY in bold and caps. Give Hercules a shot.
November 21, 200421 yr Author http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp by the looks of the pic, i think he's a righty
November 21, 200421 yr I'm guessing he is a righty but here is a picture of him: I can't tell if he is a righty or lefty by the picture.
November 21, 200421 yr I'm guessing he is a righty but here is a picture of him: I can't tell if he is a righty or lefty by the picture. 619251[/snapback] :banghead
November 22, 200421 yr I'm guessing he is a righty but here is a picture of him: I can't tell if he is a righty or lefty by the picture. 619251[/snapback] :banghead 619301[/snapback] don't you know baseball/sports photographers usually take a picture of the side the action occurs on.
November 22, 200421 yr I'm guessing he is a righty but here is a picture of him: I can't tell if he is a righty or lefty by the picture. 619251[/snapback] :banghead 619301[/snapback] don't you know baseball/sports photographers usually take a picture of the side the action occurs on. 619410[/snapback] Did you know that I was banging my head to his last comment... I can't tell if he is a righty or lefty by the picture.
November 22, 200421 yr Not worth it. Hee-Seop Choi is considered to be the best position player to come out of Korea and he needed time in the minors before his "mediocre" major league career. Maybe in comparision to Encarnacion or Hollandsworth, he may be good.
November 22, 200421 yr I'm guessing he is a righty but here is a picture of him: I can't tell if he is a righty or lefty by the picture. 619251[/snapback] Do you try to be an a**hole?
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