Intent on signing with MLB team, high school baseball prospect pulls out of KBO draft

SEOUL– Cho Won-bin, a South Korean high school baseball prospect, decided to pull out of the domestic league draft on Thursday, with an eye on signing with a major league club.

A source close to the player said Thursday that Cho, after discussing his future with his family, decided to pursue a career in the United States.

Cho had earlier registered for the upcoming Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) rookie draft but withdrew himself.

A senior at Seoul Convention High School, the outfielder was considered a strong candidate to be selected during the territorial portion of the draft scheduled for next Monday.

In the territorial draft, the 10 KBO clubs get to pick an amateur player based in their region, while another, free-for-all draft is set to follow later in the year.
With Cho’s school based in Seoul, he would have been eligible to be picked by the Doosan Bears, the LG Twins or the Kiwoom Heroes.

Instead, Cho will try to take his talent across the Pacific.

Cho is batting .367/.519/.550 in 18 games this season with two homers and 12 RBIs. Last year, Cho put up a .357/.458/.614 line with three homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games.

Cho has been drawing interest from major league clubs since winning the home run derby for the underclass players at the National Power Showcase in November last year at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

By withdrawing from the KBO draft, Cho is ineligible for the draft here for the next two years, per league rules.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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