Reporter Daehyun Moon = The infield of the baseball team preparing for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is composed of members who can be said to be the strongest ever. Director Kang-Cheol Lee is in a situation where he needs to think happily to organize traffic.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held a technical committee at KBO headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 4th and confirmed 30 entries to participate in the 2023 WBC.

The position that attracts the most attention is the infielder. All four infielders who can stand on the center line have outstanding names. Hyeseong Kim (Kiwoom), Jihwan Oh (LG), Haseong Kim (San Diego), and Tommy Hyeonsu Edman (St. Louis) are the targets.

Edmon, who is somewhat unfamiliar to domestic fans, is a Korean-American, and since his debut in the Major League (MLB) in 2019, he has played in 459 games over four seasons, hitting 0.269 with a batting average of 0.269, 40 homers, 175 RBIs, and 79 stolen bases.

Edmund’s strength is his defense, which is considered one of the best in MLB. He won the National League Gold Glove for second baseman in 2021. Last year, he played 80 games as a shortstop, 89 games as a second baseman, 8 games as a third baseman, and 3 games as an outfielder.

Manager Lee plans to use Edmon as the starting second baseman. Edmund’s partner is expected to be Kim Ha-seong.

Kim Ha-seong participated in 150 games last year and recorded a batting average of 0.251, 11 homers, 59 RBIs, 58 runs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.708, helping the team advance to the National League Championship Series. As Kim Ha-seong was nominated for the Gold Glove for his luxury defense throughout the season, there is a high possibility that Kim Ha-seong will lead the infield at shortstop.

Expectations for Kim Ha-sung and Edmon’s keystone combination are high, but at the same time, Oh Ji-hwan and Kim Hye-seong are stepped on.

Oh Ji-hwan is a shortstop and Kim Hye-seong is a second baseman who won the KBO League Golden Glove last year. In particular, Kim Hye-seong is a player who plays his part no matter where he goes in the infield enough to receive the Golden Glove as a shortstop in 2021. He is a precious resource to sit on the bench.

First of all, in the case of Kim Hye-seong, his feet are fast enough to have received the king of stolen bases in the past, so it seems highly likely that he will be appointed as a major runner or great defense depending on the game situation.

In order for professional shortstop Oh Ji-hwan to play as a starter, it is possible to turn Kim Ha-seong to third base. Director Lee also conveyed this idea at the press conference for the list announcement.

However, this plan is not definitive메이저놀이터. This is because Choi Jeong (SSG), the best giant infielder in Korea, is holding out at third base.

Choi Jeong-eun won the Golden Glove in the third baseman category this season with a batting average of 0.266, 26 homers (3rd), 87 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.386 (6th), and a slugging average of 0.505 (5th).

Choi Jeong-eun, who won his 8th Golden Glove in his personal career, tied the record for the most wins in the third baseman category with Han Dae-hwa. Choi Jeong-eun has a lot of experience in the international stage, so there is a high possibility that he will be used as a starting pitcher in the WBC.

Coach Lee, who possesses such excellent resources, is expected to choose a strategy of rotating players according to the type of opposing team and opposing pitcher, while keeping the basic framework in place.

On the other hand, competition for the first baseman position with Park Byeong-ho (KT), Choi Ji-man (Pittsburgh), and Kang Baek-ho (KT) is fierce.

However, there is a possibility that Choi Ji-man will eventually drop from the horse depending on whether or not he recovers from his injury, and if so, Park Byung-ho will be selected as the starting pitcher. Kang Baek-ho is expected to be used as the designated hitter.