Ariel Miranda, Jose Fernandez (former Doosan Bears), Audrisamer Despaigne (former KT, former Cuba), Karim Garcia (former Lotte), and Roberto Ramos (former LG, former Mexico) will enter Korea wearing their national team uniforms. They will play an outpost against the “K Young Guns” ahead of the Premier 12 in Taiwan in November.메이저놀이터
Considering Sports Seoul’s coverage, Cuba and Mexico’s national baseball teams, which have been “probably the strongest” for decades, will visit Korea in October. They will enhance their sense of play through the educational league hosted by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) ahead of the Premier 12 in Taiwan and Mexico in November.
It was reported that both Cuba and Mexico strongly demanded KBO to “participate in the educational league.” It has not been confirmed whether major leaguers will be included, but it is known that a large number of players who are active in minor leagues such as Triple-A are included. Japan is also expected to send a team, and will compete in good faith with the KBO League’s Young Guns.
Park Geun-chan, secretary-general of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), said, “Cuba is confirmed for the educational league in Ulsan, and the Mexican national team is adjusting the schedule. However, Taiwan and Australia are unlikely to participate. Australia has expressed its intention to participate but cannot participate this year due to its winter league schedule.”
As the educational league schedule overlaps with the postseason of the KBO League, it has not been decided whether the Korean Premier 12 team will participate or not. Among the teams that failed to advance to the postseason in the past, players with the national flag began training camp first, but there is a possibility that they will work together through the educational league. This year, a large number of players in their early 20s, including Kim Do-young (KIA), Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), and Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan), will wear the national flag, so attention will be paid to whether the Korean national team and the Cuban and Mexican national teams will play.
“We have about a month until the Education League, but each team is still playing the season,” said Cho Kye-hyun, chairman of the KBO’s technical committee. “The selection of national team players and the schedule of games should be decided after sufficient consultation with the club.” “As we invite overseas teams to the Education League to improve the international competitiveness of young Korean players, it is important to make it not just a game but a competition where young players gain something,” he stressed. The preliminary entry for the Premier 12 will be revealed on the 10th, and the final entry will close on the 10th of next month.
Therefore, participation in the Cuban and Mexican national teams is expected to help track the trend of world baseball. “I have participated in overseas (Japanese Miyazaki) educational leagues, but in fact, there are only a few teams that can participate,” Secretary-General Park said. “I thought it would be meaningful to hold an educational league in Korea during the absence period after the end of the Futures League and before the end of the camp, to enhance my skills and strengthen international exchanges.”
At the Ulsan Munsu Stadium, the venue of the tournament, KBO President Hu Jie-yeon met with Ulsan Metropolitan City Mayor and attracted significant investment, and Cuba and Mexico also met with their own commissioners. President Huh is still visiting the Dominican Republic and Mexico, as well as the Major League Commissioner, to strengthen exchanges.
Meanwhile, the Korean national team will play with Taiwan, Cuba, Japan, the Dominican Republic and Australia in Group B starting from November 13 at the Taipei Dome and Tien Mu Stadium. If they qualify for the Super Round, they will move to the Tokyo Dome in Japan from November 21 to try for the championship.