South Korean third baseman Kim Do-yeong makes a throw to first base during a tuneup game against the Wei Chuan Dragons ahead of the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 tournament at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei on Nov. 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Armed with some of the brightest young stars and top closers in its domestic league, South Korea will eye a berth in the final four at the upcoming international baseball tournament in Taipei.
Starting Wednesday, South Korea will compete in the third edition of the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12. Managed by Ryu Joong-il, South Korea will open Group B action against Chinese Taipei at Taipei Dome on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. local time, or 7:30 p.m. in Seoul.
South Korea will then play Cuba on Thursday, Japan on Friday, the Dominican Republic on Saturday and Australia on Monday.
The top two teams after round-robin play will qualify for the Super Round, up against the top two from Group A, whose teams are the host country Mexico, the United States, Venezuela, Panama, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands.
South Korea is the only country to have been in the final at each of the first two Premier12 events. It defeated the United States for the inaugural title in 2015 but lost to Japan in the 2019 final.
For this year’s tournament, Ryu put together a young roster of 28 players from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), as South Korea tries to give its youngsters some international exposure and build up for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Only four of the 28 players are over 30 years of age, and 18 players are 25 or younger.
Leading the youthful core is Kia Tigers third baseman Kim Do-yeong, the presumptive winner of this year’s KBO regular-season MVP award.
Yoon Dong-hee of South Korea is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Wei Chuan Dragons in a tuneup game ahead of the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 tournament at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei on Nov. 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Kim, who turned 21 in October, took the league by storm in his third season. He launched 38 home runs and stole 40 bases, becoming the youngest player in league history with a 30-30 campaign and falling two homers shy of only the second 40-40 season in the KBO. Kim also set a single-season record with 143 runs scored, and batted .347 with 189 hits, ranking third overall in both categories.
Kim led the league in slugging percentage with .647 and on-base plus slugging (OPS) with 1.067.
Doosan Bears closer Kim Taek-yeon is the youngest South Korean player at the tournament at 19. He is regarded as a shoo-in for the Rookie of the Year award this season after recording 19 saves, the most ever in a season by a rookie pitcher coming straight from high school.
Kim and four other relievers are closers for their respective KBO clubs, a group that includes Tigers ninth-inning man Jung Hai-young, who led the league with 31 saves this year.
Manager Ryu has decided to go with a four-man rotation for the five games in the preliminary round. Whoever starts the first game against Chinese Taipei will get the nod against Australia in the final game on four days’ rest.
South Korean reliever Kim Taek-yeon pitches against the Wei Chuan Dragons in a tuneup game ahead of the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 tournament at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei on Nov. 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Ryu said last Tuesday that he had decided on the starter for the opening game but chose not to disclose the name.
His four starters are: Im Chan-kyu of the LG Twins, Ko Young-pyo of the KT Wiz, and two Bears teammates, Gwak Been and Choi Seung-yong. Im and Ko are also the only two pitchers older than 30.
Ryu’s hands were tied due to injuries to a trio of 25-or-under starters — Won Tae-in of the Samsung Lions, Moon Dong-ju of the Hanwha Eagles and Son Ju-young of the Twins — who would have otherwise made the team. Starting pitching is considered the weak link for South Korea, but the bullpen could end up being the team’s strength.
In addition to the quintet of closers, the national team features two key relievers from the Tigers, the 2024 Korean Series champions, in left-handers Choi Ji-min and Kwak Do-gyu. They are also the only two left-handed relievers for South Korea.
Lee Young-ha of the Bears and So Hyeong-jun of the Wiz are both former starters who can eat up multiple innings out of the bullpen in a pinch.
Kim Seo-hyeon of the Eagles is the wild card in the bullpen. The second-year pro is one of the hardest throwers in the KBO but has experienced control issues over the past two seasons, as attested by 55 walks in 60 2/3 innings. If the 20-year-old can harness his fastballs and mix them with sliders, he can be a valuable option in high-leverage situations.
On offense, Kim Do-yeong is the obvious power threat. But only two others finished this KBO season with more than 20 homers: infielder Moon Bo-gyeong and catcher Park Dong-won, both of the Twins.
A couple of Lotte Giants players, infielder Na Seung-yeup and outfielder Yoon Dong-hee, are intriguing talents. Na had an excellent finish to his season, batting .370 with a .940 OPS in his final 24 games. Yoon enjoyed the best season of his three-year career in 2024 with 14 home runs, 85 RBIs and a .293/.376/.453 line, all of them new personal highs. Yoon homered twice in three tuneup games for South Korea.
Kiwoom Heroes third baseman Song Sung-mun has been named team captain. The 28-year-old is fresh off his most productive campaign with a .340/.409/.518 line, 19 home runs and 21 steals. Song, who can also play first base and second base, was one of only four players this season with at least a .300 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.
(Yonhap)
