For three consecutive years, I had no choice but to face the cold reality.
There were no players from the Hanwha Eagles in the recently announced WBC (World Baseball Classic) national team. Kim Beom-soo (28), Moon Dong-ju (20), Chae Eun-seong (33), and Roh Si-hwan (23) were included in the list of 50 people to watch, raising expectations, but they failed to break through the final entry of 30 people. “I’m sorry about the team, but I was unintentionally left out due to the selection criteria,” said Cho Beom-hyeon, head of the technical committee for the national team.
Last season, Hanwha had no outstanding players not only in terms of team performance but also in terms of individual indicators. Only Kim Beom-soo, who tied for third place (27) in the hold category, stood out. The national team composed of only the best players in the KBO league, and looking at last year’s indicators, the joining of a player from Hanwha was a ‘dream that could not be achieved’ when viewed calmly.
However, there is a high possibility that the names of Hanwha players will often come up and down in the composition of the national team after the WBC.
The Hangzhou Asian Games and APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship) scheduled for September and November are the stages. The Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held last year but were postponed, are expected to consist mainly of players under the age of 24. APBC also allows only players under the age of 24 or less than 3 years of professional experience.
Hanwha has shown several promising players through the rebuilding of the past two years. Jung Eun-won (23) and Roh Si-hwan (23), who were established as starting pitchers in the infield early on, are typical. They are considered as strong runners to be named in the Asian Games or APBC national team list.
In the pitching sector, ‘unfinished standbys’ are holding on. Moon Dong-joo (20) and ‘Super Rookie’ Kim Seo-hyeon (19), who entered their second year, are players whose participation in the national team will depend on their performance this year. Moon Dong-joo has been listed on the WBC 50 Interest List, and Kim Seo-hyun, who joined the pro as the first overall player, is also receiving a lot of attention. It is a name worth mentioning when forming the Asian Games and APBC teams in the future.
In addition to these, Hanwha also considers Nam Ji-min (22) and Park Jun-young (20), who were recognized for their potential at the time of pro nomination, and Park Jeong-hyeon (22), Yoo Sang-bin (23), and Yoon San-heum (24), who showed good performances in the given opportunities in the first team, as players worthy of attention. counted
Hanwha, which has walked a thorny road, is not expected to be smooth this year. In the past two years, the growth of young players has been slow, and the team’s performance has remained at the bottom, and it seems that the power has been lost. If a dramatic rebound is made this season and the young guns are active in it, it is unlikely that a meaningful achievement of the birth of another Taegeuk mark protagonist will come. 메이저놀이터