“I want to get away from Japan and go far away.”
Lee Kang-cheol, coach of the WBC (World Baseball Classic) national team, had a clear goal in his entry. The goal is 4th.
It’s a stage I’ve stepped on twice. In 2006, the first tournament, they reached the semifinals with Japan, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In 2009, he captured Venezuela and reached the final, finishing runner-up. Korean baseball, which suffered the humiliation of being eliminated in the first round in 2013 and 2017, is eager to recover its honor through this tournament, which returned after six years.
Therefore, the selection of the representative this time was a series of hardships. That is why the elimination of ‘local ace’ Woojin An (24, Kiwoom Heroes), who ranked first in the 2022 season with many wins (15 wins), average ERA (2.11), and strikeouts (224), was a hot issue. This is the result of reflecting the will of coach Lee and the technical committee of the national team, “We cannot start with (academic violence) controversy.”
However, due to this, the mound power cannot be freed from the evaluation that it has weakened.
Coach Lee filled 9 out of 15 final entry pitchers as starting resources. He considered the WBC’s nature to be up against the pitch limit in the short term. On the right-hand side, Ko Young-pyo (32, KT Wiz), a sidearm type unfamiliar to non-Asian teams, and on the left-hand side, veteran Kim Gwang-hyeon (35, SSG Landers), who achieved success as a starter in the major leagues, and impressive performances in two starts at the Tokyo Olympics. Lee Eui-ri (21, KIA Tigers), who played , is highly likely to be used as a selection. However, it is a problem that all of them are not overwhelming types of pitchers in terms of pitch. The rest of the pitchers classified as bullpen resources also have characteristics in terms of securing the deciding ball and controlling the ball, but it is not easy to pick a player who can be called ‘untouchable’. 슬롯사이트
Compared to Japanese mounds, where not only fastballs of 150 km or more, but also forkballs and sliders of 140 km are easily thrown, the difference is more noticeable. At least, we have no choice but to think about the fact that Ahn Woo-jin was chosen as a pitcher who boasted a fastball, breaking ball, and control that were close to Japanese pitchers.
Compared to the mound, the fielder composition is quite strong.
The effect of joining the big leaguers in offense and defense is remarkable. With the joining of Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres) and Tommy “Hyun-su” Edman (28, St. Louis Cardinals), a powerful keystone combination was established. In addition, if Choi Ji-man (32), who is persuading his team Pittsburgh Pirates to allow WBC participation, is decided to join, the power becomes even stronger. If Edmon, who has good mobility and contact ability, and Ha-seong Kim and Ji-man Choi, who can produce mid- to long-distance batted balls, are well placed according to the type of opponent, the destructive power of the other line is expected to increase accordingly.
There is no big difference in the composition of domestic players. In addition to Lee Jeong-hoo (25, Kiwoom), who is currently considered the best alternate hitter in the KBO league, most players have both long hitting power and operational performance, such as Park Byung-ho (37, KT), Na Seong-beom (34, KIA), and Park Hae-min (33, LG). Yang Eui-ji (36, Doosan Bears) and Lee Ji-young (37, Kiwoom), who have rich experience, are alternately appointed in the homeroom. It seems that the performance will be different depending on how quickly the adaptability to the official ball and the wide strike zone, which have been pointed out in each international competition, are achieved.