The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held a strength and conditioning committee meeting on Monday to finalize the 62-man roster for the national team that will compete in the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) 2023 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan this November.
The tournament, which was held for the first time in 2017, will be held for the second time this year after being canceled due to COVID-19. The APBC 2023 will be comprised of players aged 24 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1999) or within their third year in the professional ranks, as well as three wild cards (born on or after January 1, 1994). The KBO will finalize the final 26-man roster in mid-October.
The APBC 2023 will be held from Nov. 16-19 with four nations – South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Australia – competing in a three-day pool league, culminating in a third-place game or final on the final day of the tournament on Nov. 19, depending on the results of the preliminary rounds. 바카라
In terms of preliminary roster spots, the Lotte Giants have nine, the most of any of the 10 clubs. They include Jin Seung-hyun and Choi Joon-yong (both right-handed pitchers), Kim Jin-wook (left-hander), Lee Jung-geun and Son Sung-bin (catchers), Han Dong-hee (infielder), and Yoon Dong-hee, Ko Seung-min, and Kim Min-seok (outfielders).
Lotte was followed by Kiwoom and NC. For Kiwoom, Jang Jae-young, Lee Myung-jong (right-handed pitcher), Kim Dong-heon (catcher), Kim Hwi-jip, Kim Hye-sung, Lee Ju-hyung (infielders), and Park Chan-hyuk (outfielders) made the preliminary roster.
In the NC, Kim Si-hoon, Song Myung-ki, Shin Min-hyuk, Lee Yong-jun (all right-handed pitchers), Kim Young-gyu (left-handed pitcher), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), and Kim Joo-won (infielder) opened the possibility of going to Tokyo Dome.
SSG produced six players. Song Young-jin, Lee Roon, Choi Min-joon (right-handed pitcher), Oh Won-seok (left-handed pitcher), Cho Hyung-woo (catcher), and Jeon Eui-san (infielder) were included in the reserve list. KIA and Samsung also had six players each. For KIA, Jung Hae-young (right-handed pitcher), Lee Yi-ri, Yoon Young-chul, Choi Ji-min (left-handed pitcher), Han Jun-soo (catcher), and Kim Do-young (infielder), and for Samsung, Won Tae-in (right-handed pitcher), Lee Seung-hyun (2002-born left-handed pitcher), Ji Ae-hyun and Kim Ji-chan (infielders), and Kim Sung-yoon and Kim Hyun-jun (outfielders) were selected.
Hanwha’s five selections include Moon Dong-joo and Han Seung-joo (left-handed pitchers) and Noh Si-hwan, Moon Hyun-bin and Jung Eun-won (infielders). For LG, Park Myung-geun, Jung Woo-young (right-handed pitcher), Lee Jae-won, and Moon Bo-kyung (infielders); for KT, Kim Min-ki, Park Young-hyun, Son Dong-hyun (right-handed pitcher), and Kang Baek-ho (infielder); and for Doosan, Kwak Bin, Jung Chul-won (right-handed pitcher), Lee Byung-heon (left-handed pitcher), and Kim Dae-rae (outfielder).
Commerce also had four nominees: Heo In-seo (catcher), Han Tae-yang, Na Seung-yup (infield), and Choo Jae-hyun (outfield).
South Korea plans to field its most elite squad as it looks to make up for the disappointment of finishing as runners-up in the first edition of the tournament. South Korea lost 7-8 in extra innings to Japan in the opening game of the tournament and then beat Chinese Taipei 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel to reach the final. However, they were unable to capitalize on Japanese pitcher Kazuto Taguchi, falling 0-7 and taking second place.