SSG Landers’ young center line players failed to qualify for the national team. A deep regret remains.

In the WBC 30-man entry announced on the 4th, there are two SSG players. Infielder Choi Jeong and pitcher Kim Gwang-hyeon. Both of them are ‘regular customers of the national team’ who have already accumulated a lot of experience in international competitions.

In fact, from the point of view of their team, the selection of Choi Jeong and Kim Gwang-hyun for the national team is not entirely pleasant. Choi Jeong, born in 1987, and Kim Gwang-hyun, born in 1988, are now in their mid-thirties. Of course, there is a sense of duty as a Taegeuk mark and responsibility as a veteran national representative, but physical problems and the aftermath after returning cannot be ignored.

On the other hand, it is deeply regrettable that outfielder Choi Ji-hoon and infielder Park Seong-han failed to board. Choi Ji-hoon and Park Seong-han are the next ‘franchise stars’ who have grown step by step at SSG over the past two years. He has already established himself as a main player in the team and contributed a lot to the combined championship last year.

In addition, Park Seong-han and Choi Ji-hoon were both listed on the WBC 50-person interest list announced in November last year, so there was some expectation, but unfortunately they did not make it to the final entry. Of course, the competition was not easy. In the case of Sunghan Park, joining Tommy Edman was crucial. Edmund was selected in a situation where major leaguer Kim Ha-seong was already present, and Oh Ji-hwan and Kim Hye-seong were additionally selected. In this national team, it is advantageous to be able to digest multiple positions. Ha-seong Kim can play shortstop, second base, and third base, and Edmund is also good at defending second and third base. Here, Oh Ji-hwan was selected as an additional shortstop resource. It was difficult for Park Seong-han to compete because he was the Golden Glove winner in the shortstop category last year. 안전놀이터

The outfield field is also difficult. Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hyeon-su, who are no different from ‘fixed members’, were selected, Na Seong-beom, who has long hitting power, and Park Hae-min, who is quick and has good operational skills, were on board. Five outfielders were selected instead of four, but since there were many left-handed hitters, right-handed hitter Park Kun-woo took a chance as the fifth outfielder.

Both Choi Ji-hoon and Park Seong-han were recognized as the best in the league for defense. If you can wear the national team Taegeuk mark, it will be an opportunity to grow one step further. Because of this, both players were motivated to be selected for the WBC. Some entries may change if there are additional injuries or variables occur, but in the first entry, both people could not be named. Choi Ji-hoon and Park Seong-han now have their next career goals.