Choo Shin-soo (41, SSG) openly criticized the KBO Technical Committee for selecting players without looking at the future. If so, didn’t KBO see the real future when building the 2023 WBC national team?
Choo Shin-soo recently appeared on DKNET, a Korean radio station in Dallas, Texas, and criticized the slow generational change in Korean baseball.
The main point was the absence of a new face. Choo Shin-soo said, “In the case of Japan, there are so many new faces when international competitions are held.” “If it were me, I would have seen the future. It is true that many players would not go if they had looked at the future rather than the current results. There should have been more players to be selected,” he said, pointing to the selection of players by the KBO Technical Committee.
At the same time, “How long are Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG) and Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA)? In Japan, there is an article saying that there is another Kim Gwang-hyun. From my experience (in the KBO league), there are an enormous number of talented players. “Why can’t such players do it?” “When I participate in international competitions when I am young, the emotions and mindset I feel change tremendously. These players have things to do in Korean baseball in the future.”
The players Choo Shin-soo missed the most were Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) and Ahn Woo-jin (Kiwoom). He said, “In the case of Moon Dong-ju, it is said that he lacks control, but from what I saw, there is no pitcher who throws that much. The same goes for Ahn Woo-jin.” That part is regrettable.”
Then, as Choo Shin-soo said, did the KBO Technical Committee not see the real future? Looking at the 2023 WBC national team entry announced on the 4th, a total of 30 people, from Park Byeong-ho (KT) born in 1986 to Lee Eui-ri (KIA) born in 2002, were honored with the Taegeuk mark. The average age is 29.4 years old, and it is true that it is higher than in the late 2000s, the golden age of Korean baseball.
However, in the case of the mound, there are many young guns that can be responsible for the next 10 years. From Koo Chang-mo (NC) born in 1997 to Ko Woo-seok (LG) born in 1998, Jung Cheol-won born in 1999, Gwak Bin (Ideal for Doosan), Jung Woo-young (LG), Kim Yun-shik (LG) born in 2000, Won Tae-in (Samsung), So Joon So-jun (KT) born in 2001, Among the 15 pitchers, including Lee Eui-ri, born in 2002, nine pitchers are under the age of 26. This is the reason why Shin-soo Choo’s remarks, “How long are Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong?” It is fielders, not pitchers, that raised the average age.
Under the name of generational change, there is a problem with not being selected because they are veterans even though they have good skills. It is a principle for the national team to select the most talented player based on the time of selection. Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong still smelled like left-handed aces last year under thorough self-management. On top of that, large-scale international competitions such as the WBC require dugout and ground leaders. 토토사이트
Of course, it can be pointed out that Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong, who led the revival of Korean baseball in the past, still play the Taegeuk mark. However, that is the reality of Korean baseball, which cannot discover new ace pitchers. Rather than criticizing the selection of the national team, it would have been correct to point out the overall rebuilding stagnation in Korean baseball.
In addition, KBO is trying to use the 2023 WBC as a springboard for box office revival. Generation change is also important, but first of all, it is necessary to produce results in order for baseball fans who have left to return. Choo Shin-soo said, “It is correct that many players would not go if they had looked at the future rather than the current performance,” but there are not a few parts where the future is guaranteed only when the immediate performance is good. Lee Young-pyo, a legend of Korean football, said in the past, “The national team is a place to prove, not experience,” is in line with this.
Choo Shin-soo’s point, “Is it still Kim Gwang-hyun or Yang Hyeon-jong?” gained some sympathy. In the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, Korea did not have a single starting pitcher who could take charge of a game like Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Gwang-hyun, and Yang Hyeon-jong in the past.
In response, the KBO Technical Committee reduced the need for rebuilding and struggled to make the WBC national team into a member that could achieve both performance and generational change. As a result, 60% of the pitching entry, including four pitchers born in the 2000s, was made up of young pitchers.
You can fully feel what Choo Shin-soo’s intentions are. However, the way the player who made a mark in the history of Korean baseball expressed it was frivolous and light.