Cubs sign shortstop Lee Hak-ju

[1908]

Didn't see this mentioned anywhere.

 

East Windup Chronicle[/url]"]I suppose this will be the last Cubs signing from Korea that I haven’t seen play much first-hand. I don’t even have a lot to report, but I at least wanted to acknowledge his signing and pass along some of what I’ve heard since it’s clearly been big news in my part of the world. I’ll start doing normal updates from now.

 

In fact I was going to wait until a press conference had been held, but the Korean media started reporting the signing a couple weeks ago. As far as I know, the first and only English outlet to pick up on it was Taiwan Baseball, which has a summary of an article published in the Dong-a newspaper.

 

Lee is a shortstop from Chungam High School. The paper lists him as being 6′0, 170 lbs., but he’s closer to 6′2 and probably heavier. I saw him practice last week and it’s the only time I’ve seen him play. But as someone still new to the scout game it was a great experience just to watch him. To use the familiar adage, he was a man amongst boys. It was as if an MLB player had stumbled onto a field in rural South Korea and started taking ground balls. The balls just ambled into his glove and his catch and release was so quick — it was a textbook example.

 

But that glossy description shouldn’t overshadow his arm, which is also clearly big league. I saw him field a ball across his body, and moving toward third. He didn’t stop, he just pulled up a little and threw it on a line to first.

 

Again, I feel kind of silly raving about this guy I haven’t even seen in a game, and I’m also not used to writing in this first-person/scout style, but I can say the Cubs are really excited about him. They believe he’d be a first round pick in the states, and one of the people who scouted him also scouted Derek Jeter in high school and says Lee has better tools at his age than Jeter did back in the early 90s.

 

He hits from the left side and is blazing fast. His time down the line is right around four seconds. I saw one video of him in a scrimmage, filmed through a steel cage behind the catcher. He hits what looks like a line drive (keep in mind this is amateur video) and disappears from the frame for a few seconds. Then, what would appear to be a blur goes across the screen — it’s Hakju running from first to third. Sure, a lot of it had to do with the angle and the quality of the video, but it was still amazing.

 

It’s going to be fun to track him from this vantage point, but I’m also a little bummed out because I get the impression that the likelihood of me scouting someone with this kind of talent is not likely. Too bad for me. Possibly great news for the Cubs.

 

Incidentally, the Korean article quotes my boss, Steve Wilson, as comparing Lee to Ichiro. I’ve always read things about the Korean media being a little footloose with facts, and then experienced that first hand when I found and reported a Hankook Ilbo story that Jose Lima had been released by the Kia Tigers, only to find out it was completely untrue. Well, here is a quote used in a story that would appear to be completely invented. Steve has never compared Lee to Ichiro or even spoken to a Korean reporter about Lee.

 

The financial figures reported in the story would also seem to be from somewhere in the ether.

 

Lee is going to start off in an Australian camp once school wraps up in June, and by next spring he’ll be assigned to either a rookie team or Peoria.

[Guest]

WIlson's biggest signing.

 

$1.15 million signing bonus according to donga.com though I'm guessing closer to $750,000 that I've seen mentioned.

 

Good speed: 4.1 seconds from home to first. Good arm: clocked at 89 mph.

 

http://sports.donga.com/MEDIA/Photo/2008/04/17/20080417-18.jpg

 

http://eastwindupchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/pho_200804280958080107000001070100-001.jpg

[erik316wttn]

Korean power

Hitting long balls over the fence

Flash of speed to first

 

Oh, that's Hak-ju, not Haiku

 

Heh. Sorry.

[CuseCubFan69]

SS's are needed in this system and this should help. Thanks for the info 1908.

[CoolHandLuke]

This is pretty exciting. It would be real nice to have a legit SS prospect. Anyone have an age?

[Guest]

This is pretty exciting. It would be real nice to have a legit SS prospect. Anyone have an age?

 

The Korean media is saying he's 18 but I've also read that he was born in 1991 meaning he'd still be 17.

[1908]

He's 18, a senior in high school.

[1908]

The Korean media is saying he's 18 but I've also read that he was born in 1991 meaning he'd still be 17.

Even better. Where'd you read that?

[CuseCubFan69]

Did they ever time Dunstans throws to first when he was in HS?

[Guest]

The Korean media is saying he's 18 but I've also read that he was born in 1991 meaning he'd still be 17.

Even better. Where'd you read that?

 

I think you're right about age 18. 1991 seems unlikely since he's a HS senior, I'm trying to find where I saw that 30 minutes ago (to see if it's even reliable or a blog) but can't find the link right now.

 

ETA: He's gotta be 18 - in your link, Aaron Shinsano linked to the Taiwan Baseball Blogspot which said he was 18. If that was wrong, Shinsano would probably have corrected it.

 

ETA: Apparently Empas Directory lists him as DOB 1991 but I can't read Korean so I don't know.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

here's to hoping he can make it Peoria next season

[Outshined_One]

here's to hoping he can make it Peoria next season

 

If he does that, then we'll have a legitimate superstar prospect on our hands.

 

I know I'm not the only one who's excited the Cubs have been scouting the Pacific Rim more extensively. This signing is exciting!

[Post Count Padder]

Wow, he sounds pretty good. Here's to hoping he turns into a star.

[JimSorgi]

Let's look ahead to 2012....

 

 

Cy Young- Dae-Eun Rhee

MVP- Lee Hak-ju

[TruffleShuffle]

if he's 6'2" and more than 170 lbs, there may end up being issues with him staying at shortstop.

 

and it's shocking that he'd be compared to ichiro.

[jersey cubs fan]

if he's 6'2" and more than 170 lbs, there may end up being issues with him staying at shortstop.

 

The bigger shortstop has been a part of baseball for decades now. I'd hope he'd play in the majors at well over 170 at that height, because you don't get many skin and bones players like that doing much anymore.

[Guest]

if he's 6'2" and more than 170 lbs, there may end up being issues with him staying at shortstop.

 

and it's shocking that he'd be compared to ichiro.

 

Actually, Aaron Shinsano denied that Steve Wilson ever compared him to Ichiro - it was a made up quote.

 

As goony said, even as he fills in, 6'2" shouldn't necessarily be a problematic height for SS.

[craig]

Thanks for the news 08 and others. Very nice. Interesting that he's a LH-hitting SS. Not all that many of those. Sounds like a good prospect, lets hope he works out.

 

To my knowledge, Cedeno is the only middle-infield prospect of note that we've gotten via international signings.

[RammyFanny]

Made my night :D

 

Any better reports on his hitting (though he's obviously really young)? The article doesn't mention too much concerning if he's a power guy or a slap-speed guy.

[Outshined_One]

To my knowledge, Cedeno is the only middle-infield prospect of note that we've gotten via international signings.

 

Pretty much, although keep an eye on Marwin Gonzalez as time goes on. Teenagers down in Peoria are typically noteworthy, although Gonzalez has a ways to go before being much more than a potential prospect.

[javy knows my name]

Korean power

Hitting long balls over the fence

Flash of speed to first

 

Oh, that's Hak-ju, not Haiku

 

Heh. Sorry.

Clever. Your second verse has 8 syllables though

[C.C.]

Steve Wilson's been busy...Exciting stuff!

[Jehrico]

As far as his age goes, Koreans start counting at 1 from birth instead of 0 like we do (1 for first year, not for one year old), so if a Korean tells you he is 18, that should translate to 17 yo for us.

[erik316wttn]

Korean power

Hitting long balls over the fence

Flash of speed to first

 

Oh, that's Hak-ju, not Haiku

 

Heh. Sorry.

Clever. Your second verse has 8 syllables though

 

D'oh!

[Outshined_One]

As far as his age goes, Koreans start counting at 1 from birth instead of 0 like we do (1 for first year, not for one year old), so if a Korean tells you he is 18, that should translate to 17 yo for us.

 

If that's the case and he's actually 17, that's pretty darn cool. :thumbsup: