*This content was translated by AI.
The 'Day of Destiny' has dawned. Attention is focusing on what kind of choice Ryu Ji-hyun (55), head coach of the national baseball team, will make as the deadline for submitting the list to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
2026 WBC will be held from March 5 to 17. Starting with the first group match against the Czech Republic on the 5th, Korea will clash with Japan (7th), Taiwan (8th) and Australia (9th).
With the competition just over a month away, the final entry has to be submitted by 2 p.m. on the 4th.
After submitting the entry on time, the national team will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on the 6th at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, with Ryu Ji-hyun and Cho Gye-hyun, chairman of the KBO Power Reinforcement Committee, in attendance.
The WBC asked the participating countries to refrain from announcing their final lists on their own, and the plan is to have time to explain after the list of players from all participating countries is announced through the MLB network at 9 a.m. on the 6th.
Maybe I've already submitted a list. Coach Ryu Ji-hyun drew a more detailed picture of the players who will join the final entry through the first camp held in Saipan from the 9th to the 21st of last month.
Thirty players participated in the Saipan camp. There were 17 pitchers and 13 fielders. Earlier, manager Ryu Ji-hyun said he was thinking of 15 pitchers and fielders each. Two pitchers are expected to be excluded from the pitcher, and additional pitchers are expected among the fielders.
The catcher is expected to be joined by Park Dong-won (LG) and Choi Jae-hoon (Hanwha) without any major variables. With Song Sung-moon (San Diego) missing due to a sudden injury, all six infielders can be selected.
The variable is whether Korean major leaguers will join or not. Earlier, coach Ryu Ji-hyun predicted the joining of outfielders Germai Jones (Detroit) and Riley Jun-young O'Brien (St. Louis). If Say Witcom (Houston), which can act as a utility, is added to this, the calculation method will become more complicated.
Witcom is a resource both inside and outside the country. Last year alone, he also played as an infield position and corner outfielder in Triple-A. If Witcom joins, it will be somewhat breathtaking inside and outside.
The competition in the outfield is the fiercest. While Jones is expected to take a place, there are rookie Ahn Hyun-min (KT), who showed an overwhelming performance with advantages in hitting, Golden Glove protagonist Koo Ja-wook (Samsung), Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha), who was praised for his extraordinary batting talent in the first camp, and Park Hae-min and Hong Chang-ki (LG), who stand out in defense.
In the infield, it became difficult for Song Sung-moon and Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta) to join, making the competition somewhat loose. Kim Do-young (KIA) and Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) are on third base without Song Sung-moon. Moon Bo-kyung (LG) can play first base, so he can't think about it without thinking about it. Kim Joo-won (NC) is the only professional shortstop in the national team, and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) is the core of the infield. Rather, Ryu said he is considering additional recruitment for the shortstop position.
If Witcom is able to join, the easiest prediction is that Jones and Witcom will join all fielders based on the Saipan camp list. Witcom can be used at home and abroad for utility players, so you can reinforce it more in one place as long as there is additional utilization. In some cases, you can take one more pitcher.
Considering O'Brien's joining the pitching staff, if you think about 15 players, three players will be eliminated from the Saipan camp list. Moon Dong-joo (Hanwha), Won Tae-in (Samsung), Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha), Kwak Bin (Doosan), and Ko Young-pyo (KT) are expected to set up a starting team, and more than one starter who is underutilized in the bullpen is expected to be eliminated. While O'Brien is expected to take over the finishing touch, there is a possibility that he will pack among the right-handed bullpen resources with similar styles.
It's just a prediction. If additional Korean players are selected, more changes can be made in the entry.
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*This content was translated by AI.
