Earlier this year, Chosun Ilbo reporter Lee Wi-jae warned that going directly to the Major League with high school graduates is an adventure.
He also presented statistics analyzing cases in which players entered the Major League in Korea and Japan. He said that 29 out of 42 players (69 percent) passed the professional league in their own country, while only six out of 108 players (5.6 percent) succeeded if they did not (directly from high school graduates and rookies).
In fact, Choo Shin-soo is the only Korean player who dreamed of becoming a major leaguer after graduating from high school and challenged American baseball to become a successful player. Most of the others returned home after playing briefly.
In the case of Japan, Shohei Ohtani is praised as the "best player on the planet" as well as losing to the Major League after playing in his own league for five years and signing a 10-year, $700 million contract.
Ichiro Suzuki also entered the Major League after studying NPB and was considered the best teaching hitter of all time.
Most of the Japanese players who are currently active in the major leagues, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and Masataka Yoshida, have advanced to the major leagues after gaining their own league experience.
In Korea, only three players are playing in the Constitutional Major League: Kim Ha-sung, Lee Jung-hoo, and Bae Ji-hwan.
Of these, Kim Ha-sung and Lee Jung-hoo entered the Major League after going through the KBO League. Lee Jung-hoo hit the jackpot as soon as he debuted, and Kim Ha-sung is expected to sign an FA jackpot contract worth more than $100 million after this season.