The Sports Chosun recently positive evaluated not only the skills of foreign baseball players in the Korean Baseball Organization but also the effect they are having on their Korean teammates and Korean baseball in general.

“I told Kim Seon-woo that it would be great if he came back to Korea.”

On the 26th of May a representative of the Doosan Bears spoke about the high interest that Triple-A players have regarding Korean pro baseball. “When Kim Seon-woo (31) decided to come back to Korea from Triple-A Fresno, it seemed that his teammates were really interested in Korean baseball. They were interested in knowing what you have to do contractually before moving to an Asian league.”

On May 25th signed 31-year old Justin Lehr, who formerly played for Oakland and Milwaukee. Lehr is evaluated as a good prospect after having competed, with Derek Turnbow, for a spot as Milwaukee’s closer in 2004 after Dan Kolb was traded to Atlanta.

In fact, when he signed with the Louisville Bats, a Triple-A club for the Cincinnati Reds, he inserted a clause in the contract reading, “if an offer is made by a South Korean professional club the transfer fee shall be waived.” Other minor leaguers are also watching vigilantly for interest from Korean teams.

This season big-name players like 36-year old Jose Lima, who won 89 Major League games, and 37-year old Roberto Petagine, who won two home run titles and an MVP award in Japan, are playing for the Kia Tigers and LG Twins, respectively. 31-year old Chris Oxspring, who has been pitching for the Twins since last season, and 35-year old Park Chan-ho of the LA Dodgers were also candidates.

After the 1998 experiment with try-outs the fame and skill of foreign players stepping onto the Korean stage has shown an increasing tendency. There have been a few instances of off-field problems but they have had several positive effects on Korean players including the popularization of weight training.

When 36-year old Daniel Rios, who currently plays for Yakult in Japan, returned from his father’s funeral last season and nearly pitched a perfect game, it showed his professional spirit and gave his teammates a model to follow. The signing of foreign players with top skills and professional attitudes clearly helps to improve Korean players.

This season, through the 185 games played up to the 24th of May, the KBO’s goal of drawing 2 million fans has been surpassed (2,038,248). The KBO hopes that the competition between skilled foreign and Korean players will reinvigorate the fans who love them.

The growth of the domestic league is making possible even further growth. With prominent foreign players and Korean players showing off their talents in hot competition and receiving the applause of the fans, the “renaissance” of the KBO isn’t stopping at simply empty dreams.