#HOW MUCH DO KOREAN LOL PLAYERS MAKE PROFESSIONAL#
Brewers righthander Taylor Jungmann, a 2011 first-round pick, asked for his release so he could sign with a team in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese major leagues. Frankoff will be joined in the KBO in 2018 by former Rangers outfielder Jared Hoying, who signed with the Hanwha Eagles in the offseason. "It was an unknown how much time I was going to spend in the big leagues, so the guarantee was too good to pass up.”Įvery year, a handful of major leaguers with 40-man roster spots make the same decision. Here in the United States, as much as my heart is playing in the big leagues, it was one of those things where I didn’t know how much time I’ll have in the big leagues next year. “It just felt like the right decision in that I was going over to Korea for guaranteed money. “It was a tough decision because I was on the 40-man roster with the Mariners and being on that roster, some of that, getting to the big leagues, is that paper,” Frankoff said. The thought of moving his family halfway across the world to South Korea was daunting, as was giving up the 40-man roster spot he had worked so hard to earn.Īfter a month of long nights thinking about it, countless conversations with his family and hours spent researching and talking to players who previously made the move, Frankoff came to his decision: He asked the Mariners for his release so he could play in the KBO. But an opportunity arose after the season to play for the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization, a move that would guarantee greater financial security for his family, which now included a newborn daughter. The 29-year-old righthander made his major league debut last season and was securely on the Mariners’ 40-man roster. As fall turned into winter and the offseason dragged on, Seth Frankoff had a decision to make.