Hi everyone! I'm Demian, an A's fan from South Korea.
You may have seen the news recently that former Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park became an investor in the A's as part of a consortium.
On the night of the investment ceremony mentioned in the article, the A's ownership group watched a KBO game with Chan Ho Park at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
At the ceremony, Park said he hoped this would help create opportunities for the next generation of South Korean players to reach MLB.
Well, maybe the first one will be the pitcher who started that game that night.
His name is **Been Gwak.**
(Stats: https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gwak--000bee)
(Aug 11 Pitching Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p55O9v1xKRI)
Gwak is a right-handed starter born in 1999, currently pitching for the Doosan Bears — my favorite team in the KBO.
He currently ranks 1st in strikeouts, 2nd in wins, and 2nd in ERA.
His fastball tops out around 98 mph, and he also throws a cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup.
He's always had the stuff, but it felt like he was just missing that last 2%. This season, his command has really taken a step forward, and he looks much more confident on the mound. I'd say he's taken a pretty significant step forward from last year.
He has also said that his experience with Team South Korea in the WBC last offseason helped him a lot.
For some background, the Doosan Bears are the team that previously had Dodgers and former A's pitcher Cole Irvin, Blue Jays outfileder Daz Cameron, former Rangers pitcher Dustin Nippert and former Brewers pitcher Josh Lindblom, and Hyun Soo Kim played for them before eventually signing with the Orioles.
The Bears are also one of the six teams that have remained in the KBO since the league was founded in 1982. They're one of two KBO teams based in Seoul, along with the LG Twins, and both share Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
Gwak will become eligible for the MLB posting system after the 2027 KBO season. He recently said that even if he fails, he still wants to challenge himself in MLB.
As for the A's, there have been a few South Korean players in their minor league system over the years: LHP Sang-Hoon Lee, C Seong-min Kim, and IF Hoy Park.
The A’s were already pretty well-known among South Korean Baseball fans, largely because of Moneyball and Billy Beane. But lately, they’ve unfortunately gained a bit of a... less-than-great reputation over there.
They're the team that made an offer to Ha-Seong Kim last offseason, only to have him turn it down.
Going a little further back, they're also the team that tried to sign Do Yeong Kim — the 2024 KBO MVP — as an international amateur, but couldn't get the deal done.
And even further back, they were reportedly interested in ByungHo Park through the posting system, but ultimately lost out to the Minnesota Twins.
So, as a South Korean A's fan, I can't help but feel like we've been waiting a while for that first South Korean player to actually make it to the big leagues with A's.
Could Been Gwak become the first South Korean player to join the A's as they begin their new chapter in Las Vegas?
I'm going to throw out a completely irresponsible early prediction:
**4 years / $20M.** 😅
There have been quite a few South Korean MLB players over the years, but among the players who came to MLB without first playing in the KBO, most of the names that come to mind are from an earlier generation: Chan Ho Park, Byung-Hyun Kim, Jae Weong Seo, Sun-Woo Kim, Hee-Seop Choi, Shin-Soo Choo, and Ji-Man Choi.
Since around 2015, a number of South Korean prospects have signed with MLB organizations, but Ji-hwan Bae is still the only one from that group to establish himself in the major leagues.
On the other hand, we've had a pretty good number of players make it to MLB after playing in the KBO and using the posting system: Hyun Jin Ryu, Kwang Hyun Kim, Hyeon-Jong Yang, ByungHo Park, Jung Ho Kang, Ha-Seong Kim, Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee, Sung-Mun Song, and Woo-Suk Go, among others.
These days, young South Korean players coming out of high school either sign with an MLB organization or politely decline an offer from an MLB team and enter the KBO draft instead.
There is also an interesting wrinkle here: if a player skips the KBO draft and signs with an MLB team directly out of high school, there are restrictions on returning to the KBO later. If they eventually want to play in South Korea, they generally have to wait two years before becoming eligible again. In practice, many players in this situation end up doing their mandatory military service during that period.
Most of the recent players who reached MLB through the KBO posting system have been position players.
And when it comes to big MLB contracts, Hyun Jin Ryu and Jung Hoo Lee are probably the two biggest examples.
Since ByungHo Park, we've had Jung Ho Kang, Ha-Seong Kim, Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee and Sung-Mun Song successfully make the jump to MLB through the posting system, although most haven't made a huge impact at the major league level.
That's why I think Been Gwak is particularly interesting.
He is currently one of the aces of the KBO and Team South Korea, and honestly, he's one of the few South Korean pitchers who makes me believe he could follow in Hyun Jin Ryu's footsteps and become a legitimate MLB rotation arm.
So, my fellow A’s fans — what do you think?
Could Been Gwak be the first South Korean player to wear the A’s uniform in Las Vegas?
I'd certainly love to see it.
I typically only follow American baseball, so first of all apologies for my ignorance about the international scene.
I'm going to Japan in November and have always wanted to go to a Japanese baseball game because I heard the atmosphere is amazing. The league is over but the Asia Professional Baseball Championships are going on in Tokyo while I'm there.
I don't think the schedule is out and I can't find any information on buying tickets. Does anyone have any suggestions? And is this a thing that usually sells out early?
I would ideally like to see Japan play but I figure that's also the most likely to sell out fast.
Is this a good thing to go to to experience Japanese baseball? I love baseball anyway so I would definitely enjoy it but I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone who has attended.
this is the most info I can find about the tournament currently:
https://www.japan-baseball.jp/en/team/topteam/2026/apbc/overview.html
thank you!
The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds are doing a road trip to Japan August 19-23. Here's the schedule:
August 19: Yokohama National University
August 20: University of Tsukuba
August 21: Meiji Gakuin University (in Tokyo)
August 23: University of Tokyo
All four games are scheduled for 2 AM PDT.
No word so far on whether there will be video coverage.
A new baseball newsletter: MinorLeagueSats ⚾
I'm starting a biweekly newsletter exploring baseball, money, Bitcoin, and the future of the game.
The first issue, "The Ballpark of Tomorrow," looks at how technology could change the relationship between players, fans, and the ballpark.
The project will also explore how these ideas could apply across baseball, from the minor leagues to the international game.
Would love to hear what you think.
I’m posting from Spain, where baseball obviously isn't part of mainstream sports culture. Following the sport from afar gives me a unique perspective, but it also means I miss out on the day-to-day nuances that fans in major baseball countries experience.
I’m really curious to hear what big moves, structural changes, or international tournaments you’d love to see to push baseball’s global footprint forward. I’m interested in all kinds of ideas here—whether they are grounded, realistic plans or wild, long-shot dream scenarios that might seem totally crazy today.
For instance, one of my personal unrealistic dream scenarios would be a merged super-league between Japan's NPB and Korea's KBO to build a massive competitive counterweight in the Pacific, or a full integration of the Mexican leagues into a single year-round league.
What about you? Whether it’s inter-league mergers, tournament expansions, or radical calendar changes, what moves—realistic or completely wild—do you think would move the needle for baseball globally?
Hi all!
I am lucky enough to run a sandlot baseball team out of the home of baseball (Cooperstown) and this Friday we have a visiting team from Brooklyn traveling up to take on our friends traveling from Durham NC for a 10am game at Doubleday.
Unfortunately the Brooklyn side is traveling lighter than expected so they NEED REINFORCEMENTS!!
All skill levels, ages over 21, background and creeds are welcome!
Sandlot is a beauty inclusive community for ballers from all walks of life! Hope you can make it.
Catch me here on insta - NYSandlot for more details
Yup, today's the anniversary of the strike which shut down the rest of the season and likely robbed the Montreal Expos a chance of making it to the World Series.
Yet it also spared us the worst division race ever: At the time the strike began, the Texas Rangers were leading the AL West with a record of 52-62!
I also remember David Letterman's top 10 the night the strike began:
Top 10 Baseball Player Demands:
I play for a sandlot team in Austin, Texas and would love to jump in with a team while I’m visiting.
Sandlot is pretty much unstructured 9 innings; one step above beer league where the focus is on fun and camaraderie.
Scotland I’ll be in the Glasgow area the 22-23, I’ll be in western Ireland the 24-26, Dublin the 26th through the morning of the 29th.
Even if no games or practice, I’d love to meet up for an XL jersey exchange!
Cheers!
Hello, everyone. I'm Demian, an A's fan from South Korea.
Last spring, I finally returned to the Bay Area after many years. Unfortunately, there was no longer any baseball at the Coliseum, so I watched a game at Oracle Park instead.
Now SF Giants have a South Korean outfielder, Jung Hoo Lee, and have consequently become much more popular in South Korea. As an A's fan, that's a little painful to see.
I was also sorry to hear the recent news about David Forst.
Anyway, the player I want to introduce this time is a Taiwanese pitcher currently playing in the KBO.
His name is Yan-Cheng Wang, a left-handed pitcher born in 2001.
Wang's fastball reaches 94 mph, and he also throws a slider and a forkball.
stats : https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=wang--000yan
Highlight video of recent start (Aug 04) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06hfIZMeKTw
Wang currently pitches for the Hanwha Eagles.
Hanwha has former LA Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bruce Zimmermann. Last season, the team also had Cody Ponce, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Ryan Weiss, now with the Houston Astros.
This season, he became the second pitcher in the league to reach 10 wins and the first foreign pitcher to do so.
* Major Foreign Pitchers Currently Playing in the KBO
The KBO introduced its foreign-player system in 1998 and introduced an Asian player quota this season.
Wang is playing under the new Asian quota, earning $200,000 this season. He has several options for next year:
There is, however, an interesting variable: the Asian Games next month.
Wang will represent Taiwan, and Taiwan and South Korea are expected to be among the favorites to reach the final.
This could have a major impact on his future in South Korea.
South Korea requires most male citizens to complete 18 months of mandatory military service. However, winning a gold medal at the Asian Games provides South Korean athletes with an exemption from the normal military-service requirement.
So, if Taiwan were to beat South Korea in the final and prevent South Korea from winning gold, some of South Korea's players could face military service afterward.
In other words, if Wang were the pitcher who beat South Korea in the Asian Games final, he might become a very unpopular person in South Korea — and perhaps have a much harder time finding a place in the KBO afterward.
I'm only half-joking, but it will definitely be an interesting storyline to watch.
Wang's ultimate goal is to use his experience in Japanese and South Korean baseball as a stepping stone to Major League Baseball.
Several pitchers who played in South Korea last season made the jump to MLB contracts, including Drew Anderson, Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss.
Wang has already shown that he can compete successfully at the professional level in Asia, so I think he is a legitimate player for MLB teams to keep an eye on.
And this is where I think the A's should be interested.
The A's need starting pitching, and Wang is a young left-hander with professional experience in both Japan and South Korea. His fastball reaches the mid-90s, he has multiple secondary pitches, and he has already shown that he can succeed as a starter in the KBO.
He wouldn't need to be signed as a major free agent or expected to immediately become a frontline starter. The A's could bring him into the organization at a relatively modest cost and see whether his stuff translates to MLB.
Wang is also Taiwanese, the same nationality as Wei-Chung Wang, who pitched for the A's in 2019.
Taiwanese players can also be an interesting fit for an organization looking to expand its presence in Asian baseball. Taiwanese media have been paying considerable attention to Wang's success in South Korea, and his path could provide motivation for other Taiwanese players currently in the minor leagues.
There are currently no Taiwanese starting pitchers established in the major leagues. From both a baseball and international-market perspective, Wang seems like an intriguing player for the A's to take a chance on.
Most importantly, the potential downside is relatively small.
I think a $2–3 million contract could be enough to bring him into the organization, while giving the A's an inexpensive opportunity to add a young left-handed starter to their pitching depth.
For a team looking to strengthen its starting rotation without making a huge financial commitment, I think Yan-Cheng Wang is a name worth watching.
On Sunday, August 9th, the Puna-Mustat - Hamina men's pesäpallo game will be played in Meilahti, Helsinki. The match event will be produced in English. The game will be streamed live on the Puna-Mustat YouTube channel, also in English.
