Why a mid-30s catcher that wasn't even in the reserve entry? the national team's concerns with a reason
Oct 12, 2024
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KBO announced the list of call-ups for the national team of 'Premier 12' on the 11th. A total of 35 call-ups will hold training and practice games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from the 24th. Seven players will be excluded after checking their condition, and the final 28-man entry will be confirmed. In the postseason, there are some injured players, and if there are any other players on the team who are not in good condition recently, they will be excluded. It is the national team's calculation that they will convene in a leisurely manner and then have a final member.
Of the 35 call-ups, three catchers are in total. They are LG Twins' Park Dong-won, NC Dinos' Kim Hyung-joon, and KIA Tigers' Han Jun-su.
Kim Hyung-joon was expected to be on board. He is one of the main players of the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games and is a young player in his 20s who has recently emerged as the main host of the national team. He also spent a valuable year playing a full-time starting role in his team NC. He is also a big prospect who reaffirmed his potential in attack and defense.
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This is the point where you can check the concerns of the national team. Manager Ryu Joong-il and the Power Reinforcement Committee are said to have had tremendous concerns over the composition of the catcher's entry. As much as he decided to set up a "young national team", he tried to set up an entry with players in their 20s as much as possible, but in fact, the position of catcher had to be cautious because it played a role in leading pitchers and leading the entire team's defense.
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It is also true that young big catchers are not clearly growing, considering that catchers in their late 30s, including Yang Eui-ji, Lee Ji-young and Kang Min-ho, are still in good shape. Kang Min-ho and Yang Eui-ji's place of 'National Team Home Master' has not been clearly connected.
The reason for convening Park Dong-won is also due to these concerns. Although the final entry has not been confirmed yet, it seems highly likely that Park Dong-won will appear on the main stage of 'Premier 12'.
youll@sportschosun.com
