Since the 1998 Bangkok Games, when professional baseball players began participating in the Asian Games, the Asian Games baseball gold medal has been taken for granted. In fact, the national team only won the bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, and did not miss the gold medal from the Bangkok Games, where Park Chan-ho (then LA Dodgers) was an ace, to the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.

 

However, the prevailing view at this Hangzhou competition is that the gold medal "difficulty" is different from the previous stage. First of all, the national team is considered the weakest since the Bangkok Games. The selection target was limited to 25 years old or younger, and the wild card (3 players) also reduced the number of candidates to 29 years old or younger, inevitably reducing the completeness of the overall power.

 

On the other hand, Taiwan and Japan, which will compete for the gold medal, will come out with the strongest power in the competition ever. In particular, Taiwan's change in military service laws has heated up the willingness of overseas players to play, with only eight U.S. minor league players joining. Japan is also currently a member of the Japanese business team, but there are veteran pitchers such as batters with 21 wins (26 losses) in 388 Major League games, Junichi (37), and pitchers who throw fast balls around 150km.

 

It is a competition with a high probability of failure if it is just "power versus strength." Therefore, for national team coach Ryu Joong-il, it is very important to use the members of the national team in an optimized place. I see three question marks to solve.

 

How will the centerline be set up

 

Earlier, the national team was worried because there were a lot of center hitters. In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, major leaguers Choo Shin-soo (then Cleveland Indians), Lee Dae-ho and Kim Tae-kyun were all in their prime, so they only had to write the order. However, it is not easy to set up three center hitters due to Lee Jung-hoo's injury.

 

Fortunately, a breakthrough is in sight. First of all, Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), who is challenging for MVP by hitting 31 home runs in the season, is strong. On top of that, it is hopeful that Kang Baek-ho (KT), who spent most of the season in adjustment, survived ahead of joining the national team. Kang Baek-ho had a batting average of 0.381 (8 hits in 21 at-bats) OPS of 0.980 in the last five games. Moon Bo-kyung (LG), who fired with a batting average of 0.409 (27 hits in 66 at-bats) OPS of 1.087 in 17 games in September, is emerging as a strong candidate. The national team is expected to reveal the batting order in a warm-up match with Sangmu on the 26th.

 

Who is the starting first baseman

 

The Asian Games have only 24 entries. There is no professional first baseman. However, there are players who can play as first baseman. Moon Bo-kyung, Noh Si-hwan, and Choi Won-joon (KIA), who was selected as an outfielder, have experience as first baseman. Considering that there is no room for outfield resources, Moon Bo-kyung or Noh Si-hwan should play as first baseman. The two players only played third base this year, but they also played first base until last year. In a recent telephone interview, national team coach Ryu Joong-il expressed his intention to appoint Moon Bo-kyung as the first baseman. In this case, there is a picture of Noh Si-hwan as the third baseman and Kang Baek-ho as the designated hitter.

 

Get a big game pitcher

 

Coach Ryu Joong-il is expected to come up with a pitcher management strategy that fits the tournament's schedule, such as the unique "1+1 tactic." However, two or three big game starters are needed in any way. The starting pitcher should be decided on October 2, the second match of the group stage, against Taiwan, the expected Super Round against Japan, and the gold medal match on October 7. 토토사이트

 

Kwak Bin (Doosan) and Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) will be seen first if they overpower the opponent with ball power in an unfamiliar meeting. There are also cards such as Park Se-woong, Na Kyun-an (Lotte), and Won Tae-in (Samsung) that have stable control and even game management skills. For example, no pitcher has as much experience in international competitions as Yang Hyun-jong (KIA) in the 2018 tournament. It is a competition that requires the best choice.