MLB 출신 최지만, KBO 신인 드래프트 참가…트라이아웃 출격

거포 최지만, the 35-year-old former Major League Baseball (MLB) star from Ulsan Weilse, is set to participate in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft. His Future League (also known as Class B) team, Ulsan Weilse, announced on the 28th that he will be joining the trial games at the National Baseball Training Camp in Goyang on the 1st of the next month.

Ulsan manager Yang Yongjin expressed his support for the player, urging him to showcase his strengths during the trial. After graduating from Dongsan High School, the former MLB all-star signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2009, becoming one of the notable power hitters in Korea. His MLB career began in 2016 with a late debut with the Los Angeles Angels, followed by stints with the New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets, where he registered a career total of 525 games, 0.234 batting average, 238 hits, and 67 home runs.

In 2023, he was released from the New York Mets due to a knee injury, but was called up to the military in May of the following year. He was discharged after 3 months and returned to rehabilitation. Last month, he signed with Ulsan and has been playing games to regain his condition, having played in 27 games so far. The KBO will hold a trial game on the 21st of the next month at the Seoul Songpa District Lotte Hotel World, where the 35-year-old veteran might receive a selection from a pro team if he impresses.