"Only one catcher for the national team?" Choi Jae-hoon is shocked, and who will be the replacement for "No. 1 stolen base vs. a year when the salary increases by 212%?" [WBC]

*This content was translated by AI.

Still, the best catcher in the league is Yang Eui-ji (39, Doosan Bears) and Kang Min-ho (41, Samsung Lions), but it is not easy to call them back from the national team. Choi Jae-hoon (37, Hanwha Eagles) is expected to fall due to a sudden injury, and who will fill the position.

An official from Hanwha said on the 8th, "Choi Jae-hoon was hit by a ball in his right hand while receiving a home throw during a defensive training session at the Melbourne Spring Camp in Australia earlier in the day."

"As a result of an X-ray examination at a local hospital, I was found to have a fracture of the right finger (finger) for three to four weeks," he said. "The results of the examination were immediately delivered to the WBC national team."

The opening of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is less than a month away. The national team will begin its group league schedule with the first match against the Czech Republic on the 5th of next month.

Choi Jae-hoon's departure is bound to be painful. In 121 games last year, he hit 0.286 with one homer and 35 RBIs, but his on-base percentage reached a whopping 0.414 and his batting average in scoring was 0.355, which was strong even in clutch situations. Hanwha advanced to the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years, and Choi Jae-hoon was behind the performance of the pitchers who led them.

Of the 30 entries, the catcher consisted of only two. A situation where one is likely to be left out of this. The number of clear catchers has been reduced to one, Park Dong-won (36, LG Twins). Although he has been selected as the main homeowner, the importance of the two options cannot be easily considered due to the nature of short-term games with many variables.

Yang Eui-ji was the main character of last year's catcher Golden Glove. The difficulty is the second to achieve the catcher batting king (batting average of 0.337) and is said to be a mastermind in the operation of the game. Kang Min-ho is also still classified as a top catcher, drawing a two-year, 2 billion won contract as a free agent (FA) even at the age of more than 40 million.

However, they disappeared from the national team starting with the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. It will be difficult for them to fill Choi Jae-hoon's vacancy due to the direction of the national team aimed at generational change in line with their commitment so far.

In reality, two young catchers are expected. Cho Hyung-woo (24, SSG Landers) is considered the most likely. Cho Hyung-woo, who debuted in 2022, was reborn as the main catcher of SSG and played in the K-baseball series in November.

It is evaluated that it has excellent ability to stop stolen bases (3rd place) and its overall ability value is observed. Although he still has some regrets in hitting, he went 4 at-bats in 4 games in the K-baseball series, showing his potential with 2 hits in 4 at-bats. In the post-season salary negotiations, the team recorded the highest increase rate in the team from 40 million won last year to 85 million won and a whopping 212.5%, finishing the signing at 125 million won.

Another strong candidate is Kim Hyung-joon (27, NC Dinos). He played as a key catcher at the Hangzhou Asian Games and helped hunt for gold medals, and experienced the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) that year and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 in 2024.

Kim Hyung-joon, who ranked No. 1 in stolen bases (35.6%) among catchers who played more than 200 innings, is considered to be one level above Cho Hyung-woo not only in strong shoulders but also in batting productivity.

The problem is physical condition. Last year, he complained of wrist pain during the wild card game and was diagnosed with a fracture of the humerus bone and went to the operating table. Although he joined the team's spring camp normally, it is unclear whether he will be able to raise his condition properly.

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*This content was translated by AI.