Will the talented duo overcome the Tokyo Olympics nightmare?
There are not that many quick and sophisticated hitters on the field line of the WBC national team this time around. It should be seen that the recent trend of the KBO League is reflected. Most of the national team’s main fielders are mid- to long-distance hitters capable of hitting 15 to 20 homers. I am more curious about how the table setter will be organized than the center batting line.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t quick and sophisticated hitters. Starting from the 2022 season, there is Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom), who has grown into the league’s top-notch alternate hitter, and Park Hae-min (LG), who has already hit the FA jackpot with an airlifting run. Due to the composition of the national team’s fielding team, the possibility of the two playing an active role as a regular starter is low. However, it is expected to be a very useful card that goes back and forth between the main and backup.
The WBC entry is 30. More generous than other international competitions. Even so, there is still a need for a versatile beast due to the nature of short-term battles. Kim Hye-seong and Park Hae-min have one thing in common: quick feet, good defense, and good operational ability.
In other words, it is a card optimized for squeezing 1 point or blocking 1 point. Kim Hye-seong is basically the backup second baseman for Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals). But he can also play shortstop. Park Hae-min can cover all positions in the outfield. The two are also ranked 1st and 2nd runners. Thanks to the presence of the two, coach Lee Kang-cheol is expected to be able to make bold player substitutions in the second half of the game.
Of course, it is expected that he will play an active role as a starter when injured or poor players come out. Historically, there have been cases where these cards have been a game changer when they performed well in international competitions 메이저사이트. This is because it can play a decisive role in winning.
The two competed in the Tokyo Olympics held in the summer of 2021. Kim Hye-seong was selected for the first adult national team, and Park Hae-min was also the second Taegeuk mark after the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018. Both performed similar roles back and forth between starting and backing back then. However, it did not remain as a good memory as the national team was shocked by the no medal.
Coincidentally, the first and second rounds of this WBC will also be held in Tokyo. Of course, at the time of the Tokyo Olympics, baseball was held in Yokohama, not Tokyo. For Kim Hye-sung and Park Hae-min, the main task is to change the bad memories in Japan into good memories and fly to Florida, USA, where the semifinals will be held.