High schooler Jang Hyun-seok goes to Hangzhou…Asian Games baseball team announced
The 24-member baseball team that will compete at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October has been finalized.
The team is young, with an average age of just over 23 years old, including the first-ever selection of Jang Hyun-seok, one of the top pitchers in high school.
The inclusion of military veterans is the largest since the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.
Reporter Park Soo-joo.
[Reporter]
The 24-member roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team has been released.
Under the banner of “generational change,” the average age of the squad is 23.2 years old. It is the second youngest Asian Games team in history.
With the decision not to suspend domestic regular leagues from the Hangzhou Asian Games, only a maximum of three players were selected from each club.
Twelve pitchers were named, including Lotte ace Na Kyun-ahn, “160km fastball” Hanwha’s Moon Dong-joo and LG’s Ko Woo-seok.
In particular, Masan Yongmago’s right-hander Jang Hyun-seok drew attention as he was selected for the first time as a high school student.
“The Asian Games is an amateur competition. There is also a dimension of giving dreams and hopes to young players for the development of amateurs. He received the most points for his pitching, speed, and game management.”
The catching staff is led by NC Kim Hyung-jun and backed up by Kiwoom Kim Dong-heon, the only first-year rookie in the squad.
The hitters include Kiwoom Lee Jung-hoo, KT Kang Baek-ho, LG Moon Bo-kyung, Samsung Kim Ji-chan, and SSG Choi Ji-hoon.
The three wild cards went to Lotte right-hander Park Se-woong, NC left-hander Koo Chang-mo, and outfielder Choi Won-joon, who is currently playing for the Sangsung.
Notably, Koo Chang-mo and Kwak Bin, who had recently suffered injuries, were also selected, as the KBO believed they could recover sufficiently before the tournament 안전놀이터.
“I will be determined to become an ace.”
Nineteen of the 24 players in the squad are without military service, the most since the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, when all 22 players were without military service.
South Korea’s baseball team, which has won three consecutive gold medals starting with Guangzhou 2010, will be looking to make it four in a row in Hangzhou.