grapplegraphics.com Age and seniority restrictions due to controversy over national team selection.메이저놀이터.. There are concerns over the number of injuries to the three wild cards,
including Lee Jeong-hoo, who is in his 20s… Gold medal possible only after overcoming Taiwan and Japan
Korean baseball has recently suffered a series of poor performances in international competitions. In particular, at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which can be called the ‘Baseball World Cup’, he was criticized as a ‘frog in a well’ after being eliminated in the first round three times in a row.
Therefore, we are determined to stand at the top at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and recover some of our tarnished honor.
In fact, Asian Games baseball was not a very difficult stage for Korea. Of the six competitions in which professional athletes were allowed to participate, from the 1998 Bangkok Games to the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, the only one in which they failed to win a gold medal was the 2006 Doha Games (bronze medal), also known as the ‘Doha Disaster’.
At the Hangzhou Games, they will attempt to win their fourth consecutive Asian Games title. However, this competition is different in that it is the first competition to participate in the Asian Games with its own selection rules for the national team.
The national baseball team, which suffered from measles due to national team selection and military service exemption during the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Tournament, has decided to limit it to players under the age of 24 and in their third year of professional debut starting from this tournament. The intention was to induce generational change and increase international competitiveness from a mid- to long-term perspective, while minimizing noise related to national team selection.
This standard was revised to 25 years of age and 4 years of professional experience or less as the Hangzhou Asian Games were postponed by a year. Regardless of the criteria, three ‘wild cards’ can be selected, but this is also limited to those under the age of 29.
As a result, this national team will feature the youngest players ever in the Asian Games. Rookies representing the league and prospects who will become future superstars came together.
This season, Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) is ranked first in home runs and RBIs in the KBO League, as well as Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), who is likely to be the Rookie of the Year as a second-year pitcher, Park Young-hyun (KT), who has grown into the best bullpen pitcher in the league, and Kim Dong-heon, who has become a starting pitcher as a high school graduate rookie. (Kiwoom), and Jang Hyun-seok (Yongma High School), who advanced to the big leagues as a ‘super high school level player’, are those to watch.
In addition, Go Woo-seok (LG), Kang Baek-ho (KT), Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom), Won Tae-in (Samsung), and Koo Chang-mo (NC) have already had national team experience in the Olympics and WBC, and will become the core of the team.
However, there are concerns. This is because the national team players who were finally selected showed less than perfect performance due to injuries and poor performance.
The biggest gap is Lee Jeong-hoo (Kiwoom). Lee Jeong-hoo, who won five batting awards last year and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP), was unable to participate in the Asian Games after suffering a left ankle injury last July and having to undergo surgery.
In addition, Koo Chang-mo, who was expected to be an ace, and Kang Baek-ho, who should have been a key hitter, disappeared from the first team for a long time due to injuries.
Go Woo-seok and Jung Woo-young (LG) were not in any pain, but their performance fluctuated throughout the season and they showed anxiety. There are many concerns about this situation.
The national team is scheduled to convene for the first time on the 23rd, but replacement players have not yet been confirmed. In the near future, the final decision will be made on whether or not Koo Chang-mo will be selected as a replacement for Lee Jeong-hoo.
In this year’s Asian Games, the competing teams competing for medals are strong.
In Japan, it is said that ‘social baseball’ players are the main players, but in Japan, social baseball is practically like professional baseball, and there are quite a few players who advance to the professional level. The level is never low.
Taiwan is showing its will to win the gold medal by calling up seven minor leaguers, including its own professional players.
Will Korea be able to resolve its disappointments at the last WBC through this Asian Games? Can the national team, led by new players, brighten the future of Korean baseball? A lot of attention is focused on Ryu Joong-il, who is competing in the Asian Games.