For years, the Dodgers kept tabs on Hyun-Jin Ryu, monitoring his rise from intriguing amateur to established ace.
Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for the National League in the All-Star game on Tuesday.
, monitoring his rise from intriguing amateur to established ace with the Hanwha Eagles in the Korean Baseball Organization.wanted one last look to ensure, above all, he was healthy before entering the sweepstakes. So scouting director Logan White, director of Asian operations Acey Kohrogi and scout Byung-Hwan An arrived for a final in-person incognito inspection, emphasis on incognito., the first Korean-born player to appear in the major leagues, two decades earlier.
“He wasn’t overpowering, but he could command the ... out of it,” White said. “He was a little heavy, but I don’t need body beautiful on the mound.”Three months later, Ryu signed a six-year, $36-million contract to become a Dodger. Seven seasons later, Ryu, after overcoming an assortment of injuries and betting on himself last offseason by accepting the Dodgers’ one-year, $17.9-million qualifying offer, is a 32-year-old veteran exceeding all expectations.
The Dodgers had ample experience incorporating players from Asia — Park arrived from South Korea while Hideo Nomo and Hiroki Kuroda had been among the acquisitions from Japan since the mid-1990s — and Ryu adjusted to his surroundings. Luis Cruz, a Mexican infielder, helped him break the ice with teammates. He found passable Korean food in the Phoenix area and embraced the large Korean community in Los Angeles once the regular season started.
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