Cubs getting the Pacific Rim job done.

According to East Windup Chronicle, The Cubs have signed a supposed “stud” shortstop out of Korea (still in high school) by the name of Lee Hak-ju. (I’m sure there’s a joke for Solly in there, but I’m not sure what it is yet.) The guy who scouted Lee for the Cubs is the same one who scouted Derek Jeter in high school, and he says that Lee has better overall tools than Jeter did at that stage. This is the description from the Chronicle:

Lee is a shortstop from Chungam High School. The paper lists him as being 6′0, 170 lbs., but he’s closer to 6′2 and probably heavier. I saw him practice last week and it’s the only time I’ve seen him play. But as someone still new to the scout game it was a great experience just to watch him. To use the familiar adage, he was a man amongst boys. It was as if an MLB player had stumbled onto a field in rural South Korea and started taking ground balls. The balls just ambled into his glove and his catch and release was so quick — it was a textbook example.

But that glossy description shouldn’t overshadow his arm, which is also clearly big league. I saw him field a ball across his body, and moving toward third. He didn’t stop, he just pulled up a little and threw it on a line to first.

Reports say he is also blazingly fast. His time down the first base line is approximately 4 seconds, which compares with guys like Jose Reyes, Carl Crawford, and Joey Gathright. Add that to the fact that he is left handed, and the Cubs may have their own version of Reyes in the next couple years. It will be interesting to see how fast he moves through the system. Let’s hope it turns out better than the Cubs last Korean project, Hee-Sop Choi.