Coach Ryu Joong-il, who led young players at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), continues to take the helm of the national baseball team. With “Monster Pitcher” Ryu Hyun-jin returning to the domestic stage wearing the Hanwha Eagles uniform, attention is focusing on whether manager Ryu Joong-il will call Ryu Hyun-jin at the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 tournament in November.유흥알바
The KBO appointed Ryu Joong-il as the national team coach on the 23rd. The KBO’s power reinforcement committee highly praised Ryu’s leadership, which led the national team composed of promising players to win a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, and also showed good performance at APBC 2023 held in November, achieving a successful generational change of the national team.
Based on such a successful generational change, it was highly evaluated in terms of continuity and understanding the players who will be the main players in the 2024 Premier 12 and 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournaments.
Manager Ryu Joong-il will take the helm until the Premier 12 scheduled for November, starting with the game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the special game of the MLB World Tour Seoul Series 2024 with Coupang Play at Gocheok Sky Dome next month.
Coach Ryu Joong-il said, “I was appointed as the national team coach and felt a lot of pressure, but last year, I, as well as myself, gained great confidence through the generational change following KBO’s plan to strengthen the national team. I will continue to do my best to achieve excellent results in international competitions through the systematic operation of the national team.”
In addition, KBO will focus on researching the direction and policy of the national team and analyzing its power by appointing Choi Il-eon and Ryu Ji-hyun, who contributed to the growth and generational change of the national team with Ryu Joong-il last year.
KBO and the Power Enhancement Committee will complete the formation of coaching staff in early March, and prepare for the 2024 MLB Seoul Series Special Game, as well as the formation of entries in preparation for the 2024 Premier 12 tournament, and the analysis of the countries they will face.
In addition to national team-related tasks, coach Ryu Joong-il, Choi Il-eon, and coach Ryu Ji-hyun will actively participate in KBO-hosted events such as youth competitions and education to focus on expanding the base of domestic baseball.
As Ryu Joong-il takes the helm of the Korean national team again, attention is focusing on Ryu Hyun-jin, who officially joined the Hanwha team. The Hanwha Eagles officially announced on the 22nd, the previous day, that they signed an eight-year contract worth 17 billion won with Ryu Hyun-jin. It is the largest contract in the history of the KBO League, and includes opt-outs. After completing his contract, Ryu Hyun-jin joined Okinawa, Japan, where the second Hanwha spring camp is taking place, on the 23rd and started training.
When asked if he is willing to play in the Premier 12 if he has a chance to play in the Premier 12, Ryu said, “I think it’s natural as a player. I don’t know if you’ll pick me, but I want to go to the national team one more time and play as a player representing Korea.”
The KBO and Ryu Joong-il believe that the national baseball team is currently in the middle of a generational change process. Under these circumstances, it is not clear whether Ryu will include Ryu, who will turn 37, in his roster, as Ryu said. However, ahead of a baseball competition where Ryu will compete for the best, there is no reason not to pick Ryu if he shows himself.
Ryu Hyun-jin, the starting pitcher who returned to the Hanwha Eagles, is interviewing after finishing a training session at Kochida Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, where his spring camp is held. Ryu, a former member of the Toronto Blue Jays of the U.S. Major League Baseball, secured a free agent right after the end of last season and decided to return to the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League this year. He signed an ultra-large contract worth 17 billion won (11 million U.S. dollars) for eight years. It is the largest in KBO league history. Okinawa, Go Ara, a reporter
Ryu Hyun-jin, the starting pitcher who returned to the Hanwha Eagles, is running at Kochida Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, where his spring camp is held. Ryu, a former member of the Toronto Blue Jays in the U.S. Major League, has decided to return to the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO League this year after securing a free contract after the end of last season. He signed an ultra-large contract worth 17 billion won (11 million U.S. dollars) for eight years. It is the largest in KBO league history. Okinawa, Go Ara, a reporter
Meanwhile, Korean baseball finished the WBSC ranking at the fourth place in 2023. Korea ranked the fourth with 4,353 points, following Japan (5797 points), Mexico (4764 points), and the U.S. (4492 points). Taiwan ranked the fifth with 4,170 points.
Since Japan became No. 1 in the WBSC ranking in January 2015, Japan has been firmly in the lead for more than eight years. This owes to Japan’s accumulation of points by winning major international competitions, including the 2019 Premier 12, 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold, and 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The WBSC men’s baseball world ranking is based on 80 countries. WBSC’s international competitions, including the WBSC Premier 12, will affect seed allocation and groupings.