WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup alum Jayden Kim signs for Pittsburgh Pirates

Baseball Australia announced that Jayden Kim signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB).

"From the very beginning of my baseball journey, my goal was always to become a professional player," said Kim. "I worked towards that dream from a young age, and as I gained attention from scouts and teams, it became evident that I could turn this dream into a reality."

Jayden is the son of David Kim, an Australian born of Korean heritage who played in the inaugural Australian Baseball League (ABL) and had a seven-year career in the Korea Baseball Association (KBO) league with the LG Twins.

Jayden was born in Korea, started playing baseball there, and moved back to Australia, holding dual citizenship, in 2021.

As a 16-year-old, Kim was the everyday shortstop for World No. 11 Australia at the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. He appeared in six games at shortstop in the XXXI U-18 Baseball World Cup.

Kim became the second Australian teenager to sign a professional contract this off-season after Drew Davies, who agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Reds.

Baseball Australia's website reported that 26 Australian players are currently under contract with MLB organizations.