Attention is focused on whether Choi Jeong (36, SSG Landers), the only ‘professional third baseman’ of the national baseball team, who will participate in the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, will be able to reveal his true worth on the 5th international stage.
Choi Jeong-eun joined the national team training that started at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona on the 15th (Korean time) and started preparing for the tournament in earnest. SSG players, including Choi Jung, Kim Kwang-hyun, and Choi Ji-hoon, who were selected for the national team, started training in Vero Beach, Florida on the 30th of last month and built up their bodies for about two weeks. After training in the United States, the national team will continue its own training and evaluation matches at Gocheok Dome and Osaka Kyocera Dome in early March.
Currently, the third base of the national team is guarded by Choi Jeong alone. The third baseman is the only position in the national team that has not been selected multiple times. In international competitions with many variables, more than two players for each position were selected. During the 2019 Premier12, another league-top third baseman Heo Gyeong-min (Doosan Bears) and Hwang Jae-gyun (KT Wiz) were with Choi Jeong. This time, however, Choi Jeong has to play as the only professional third baseman as unexpected circumstances occurred, such as Heo Gyeong-min being ruled out due to a back injury.
National team coach Lee Kang-cheol thought of ways to keep Choi Jeong from bearing all the burden. The infield of this national team revolves around big leaguers Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) and Tommy Edman (St. The ideal scenario would be a keystone combination with Kim Ha-seong as shortstop and Edmon as second baseman, but Lee also considered Oh Ji-hwan as shortstop and Kim Ha-seong as third baseman depending on the situation.
This tournament is an opportunity for Choi Jeong to regain his honor. Starting with the 2nd WBC in 2009, Choi Jeong-eun will participate in the 5th international competition following the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, the 3rd WBC in 2013, and the Premier12 in 2019. In the previous four tournaments, he participated in 16 games and posted a batting average of 0.286 (8 hits in 31 bats) and 3 RBIs, but it did not leave a very strong impression except for the Guangzhou Asian Games (4 games, 4 hits in 10 bats). In particular, in the Premier 12, only 4 out of 8 matches the national team played. 먹튀검증
It is clear what the national team expects from Choi Jeong. Choi Jeong-eun is a ‘living legend’ of the KBO League who hit 429 homers in 2036 games in 18 seasons. He hit 26 home runs last season as well, achieving double-digit home runs for 17 consecutive seasons since 2006. In the 40-year history of the KBO League, it is a record held only by Choi Jeong. As he has been renowned as a home run hitter representing the KBO League for several years, coach Lee hopes Choi Jeong-i and Park Byeong-ho (KT) will press the opposing pitchers with long hitting power in this tournament. For Choi Jeong, this tournament, which will be held at the age of 37 in Korean age, may be the last international stage. If Choi Jeong-gi hits the first home run in his career at the WBC this time and shows off his big shot instinct, it will definitely be a boon for the national team.