By Jared Figueroah
The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently sitting at 34-34 as they are in the midst of what’s looking to be a crazy wild card race until the end of September. But a move made earlier this week turned some heads locally.
The Diamondbacks acquired Korean two-way star Junsang Eom for the 2025-26 international signing period. Eom is a 17-year old high school prospect who was projected to go in the top three in the KBO Draft as he is widely regarded as the number two prospect in South Korea.
On the mound, Eom’s fastball touches 95 MPH but the 17-year old phenom also plays shortstop and is widely regarded as one of the best raw talents in the KBO.
The last Korean player that suited up for the Dbacks was closer Byung-Hyun Kim, who had two stints with the ballclub from 1999-2003 and 2007. Kim was a major factor in the 2001 World Series run, but the Dbacks have since looked elsewhere internationally up until this signing.
Even with the opportunity to showcase his talent at the MLB level in Arizona, Eom has still not made a decision on whether or not he will be joining the club, as playing time is still a major concern at his age.
There will definitely be some catching up to do if Eom decides to take his talents to Arizona. The Dodgers are notably stacked with Japanese and Korean talent while the Giants and Padres are frequent pursuers into the same market, but it could be the start of the Diamondbacks diving into the international landscape once again.
Despite the concern on whether or not Eom will ultimately decide to join Arizona, this is an opportunity that they could not pass up as this type of talent does not come around very often, especially within a division that is constantly looking at international talent.
Claudia Collins
