| Incheon Ganghwa SSG Futures Field |
On the 6th, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) ordered the SSG, which was caught up in the controversy over the ‘pre-contact’ of an amateur prospect, to submit a police report.
It is known that the SSG club recently called high school and college players to Futures Field in Ganghwa, Incheon, where the second-team facilities are located, and measured their body data with state-of-the-art equipment.
However, SSG is suspected of tampering with nine clubs by measuring high school seniors who are eligible for the draft ahead of the rookie draft in September. It is a foul to touch a player prior to draft pick-up. The club’s first-round pick may be forfeited.
Earlier this year, the SSG team applied to the fund competition project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and was selected as a team to perform biomechanics training-related projects. It is a project created by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Professional Sports Association with the purpose of nurturing youth using scientific and systematic training techniques. SSG said, “The data of youth baseball players measured for business purposes were sent to the school to be used for systematic management and development of players.”
After examining the SSG’s background, the KBO plans to find out in detail whether it was mere negligence or obvious prior contact in the process of carrying out the project.
Reporter Jeong Se-young
